VBT approves special assessment district for McBride Road paving

After a June 20 public hearing on the proposed McBride Road Improvement Special Assessment District, the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees unanimously approved the special assessment district.
The board also set the public hearing on the assessment roll for the special assessment district for 7 p.m., Tuesday, July 18.
The township is using the Wayne County Local Road Initiative program for the paving and improvement of necessary structures and other work incidental to McBride Road between Quirk Road and Beck Road.
The county is paying $740,000 for 80% of the $914,000 project and the special assessment district is paying the 20% local match.
The one parcel at 47097 McBride Road, owned by the Van Buren Public Schools, will pay $90,000 in full at the time VBT approves preliminary engineering to commence for the project, as specified in a May 25 agreement with the school.
The remaining parcels in the special assessment district will pay $95,000, with annual payments estimated at $578.22 per year, per parcel, for five years, plus interest, based upon a unit basis with each parcel assessment for 1/33 of the remaining estimated costs.
“We are getting a million dollar road for $95,000,” said VBT Supervisor Kevin McNamara. “It’s an impactful project.”
He said the township is lobbying actively, weekly, for Wayne County to give the township another project like this.
“Five hundred thousand dollars would help,” Supervisor McNamara said.
Trustee Reggie Miller pointed out the township already spent $13,000 on engineering for the project last year. The project didn’t continue last year because the school district found it could not use sinking funds for roadwork and dropped out of the tentative agreement.
There was no audience comment during the public hearing on the special assessment district, but a letter in opposition had been sent from architect Wayde Hoppe, who lives on McBride.
He said he has lived on McBride for 25 years and he objected to the proposed special assessment district.
Hoppe said the primary beneficiaries should be paying for the roadwork. He said the project is clearly for the benefit of the school district, for the buses and those parents who take their children back and forth to school.
“It should be shared by all of the residents of Van Buren Township,” Hoppe wrote.
Also, he said, those gathering signatures did not explain the cost. He said if they were given the cost at the time of signing, they might not have agreed to sign.
Hoppe also questioned the method of gathering signatures, since township staff was sent out to gather signatures.
“They used tax funds to collect taxes on some of the residents,” Hoppe said, asking board members to vote against the special assessment district.
Supervisor McNamara said, “We did go up and down that street in January and February. We needed to know if there was interest. I asked my assistant to go out and leave a letter in the door… We needed the approval of residents on the street.”
He said the letters estimated the homeowner’s cost as $650 annually for five years and it turned out the most recent estimate is much lower, at $578.22.
“Nobody was snuck up on,” McNamara said. “We put ads in the Independent, on the internet. Dan Clay and Bonnie took over on McBride to collect signatures. I wanted to make sure it was going to go.”
Daniel and Ashley Clay and Bonnie Coughlin carried the petitions.
Trustee Miller asked if there was a cost put on the petition that the homeowners’ signed and Ron Akers said there wasn’t. Akers is VBT director of planning and economic development.
“As part of the process, we estimate the cost,” Akers said.
“We don’t have the exact cost,” McNamara agreed.
The schedule for the project has construction slated for late fall or early spring.
In other business at the June 20 regular meeting, the board:
• Approved the second (final) reading of an ordinance to rezone 49412 Michigan Avenue from C (Local Business) and C-2 (Extensive Highway Business) to C-1 (General Commercial). The developer plans to construct a gas station, market, and drive-through restaurant. The site is located on the northwest corner of Michigan Avenue and Denton Road;
• Approved the first reading of Ordinance 06-20-17 (1) an amendment to the General Code of Ordinances on Municipal Civil Infractions. This is a revised ordinance, following a previously passed ordinance, after it was found there was a 1998 agreement with the court that it will collect fines;
• Approved the first reading of Ordinance 06-20-17 (2) on animal waste and dogs. Animal owners will properly dispose of feces in public places and also on personal property;
• Approved the first reading of Ordinance 06-20-17 (3) an addition on Diseased or Dangerous Trees, Shrubs, or Plants that are an imminent danger to the public. Property owners will be noticed by mail and posting and will have 30 days to take care of the problem. Trustee Paul White asked about trees in the right of way and Police Lt. Charles Bazzy replied, “It’s your tree.” He said the right of way is the property owner’s property, but Wayne County Forestry is very attentive to trees in the roadway;
• Removed from the agenda the first reading of Ordinance 06-20-17 (4) an amendment having to do with placement of trash receptacles. The controversial ordinance needs some fine tuning;
• Approved the first reading of Ordinance 06-20-17 (5) an amendment on collection and disposal of solid waste. This has to do with temporary containers, such as rolloffs or PODs, that some people have kept in their yards for a year. After seven days, residents can get a 30-day permit free of charge and then more permits as reasonable at a small cost;
• Approved promoting Carol Towles to the position of Accounting Coordinator and approved her personal services agreement. Towles, who has worked assisting the present coordinator for more than 20 years will be leaving the union and joining management. She replaces Vern Morse who is retiring as of July 5 after more than 20 years of service. She was hired just two months after he was hired. Trustee Miller asked if Morse will be getting an exit interview and Human Resources Director Nicole Sumpter said, “If he wants”;
• Heard Supervisor McNamara say the Michigan Clerk of the Year award Clerk Leon Wright was to get on June 22 is a big deal and several board members will be driving to Kalamazoo for the award ceremony at the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks summer conference. He said the next meeting will be a big “Leon Fest”;
• Heard Bob McKenna ask if the township will be able to have trash containers not in front of houses and not seen from the street and McNamara said, “In a perfect world, but it’s not gonna’ happen”; and
• Approved the township attorney’s recommendation on Wayne County Circuit Court Case #15-015063, VBT vs. Amanda Jackson. The board met in closed-door session to discuss the case on June 19.