Road analysis comes up with millage of 9.24 or 13.07 for city street work

At its Feb. 16 meeting, the Belleville City Council reviewed a Road Bond Analysis of how much taxpayers would have to pay to have all the city streets fixed.
Council members expressed shock that the millage could be 13.07 mills for 10 years or 9.24 mills for 15 years to raise the more than $10 million needed to do the job.
That would be annual cost per household of $704 for 10 years or $498 for 15 years.
Cost over the term of the millage would be $7,044 over 10 years or $7,473 over 15 years.
This is based on a project cost of $9,005,357 plus 2.5% interest.
“It’s not pretty,” said City Manager Diana Kollmeyer of the Road Bond Analysis.
“It could be more if interest goes up,” noted Councilwoman Kim Tindall.
“We need community input,” said Councilman Tom Fielder.
Mrs. Dalton said the project includes no alleys in the city and the alley behind her property on South Street is badly deteriorated. She said the city is looking at spending $9 million and this one area is in the top five or the worst roads in the city.
She said the alley behind the doctor’s office, between Wabash and Davis, was the only alley that wasn’t improved when the city was doing alleys a few years back.
DPW Director Keith Tackett said there is a roto rooter snake struck down in a sewer coming from the former insurance office in that area and they will have to dig a big hole there in the spring.
Mike Renaud suggested they have the Downtown Development Authority do all the streets in the DDA district. Let the DDA bond for those streets and that would lower the millage for the rest of the city.
“We did some street fixing in the DDA district and the DDA said they couldn’t afford it, so the city paid,” said Councilwoman Tindall.
Tackett said, also, he is expecting a 15% across the board paving increase this spring.
Cindy Thomas suggested they add bike lanes on Main Street and High Street as part of the street project.
“I rarely see people riding their bikes around except those who’ve lost their license,” she said. “I walk a lot … We run out of sidewalk a lot.”
“We’d have to levy a mill for that,” said Mayor Kereen Conley.
Tackett said the Iron Bell Trail is a state trail that will be heading into Belleville along East Huron River Drive to North Liberty and to the Belleville Road Bridge, but it would require no parking on the west side of Liberty. He said some money from the state is available for this.
Mayor Conley said on the street project, the council will reach out and hold some round table discussions.
Tackett said the street study was done citywide and streets listed by severity, starting at Edgemont School.
Councilman Fielder made a motion to set up an informational meeting first and then a town hall meeting. The public information meeting will be at a time to be determined and perhaps could be held at the high school so there would be enough room for a crowd.
Councilman Jack Loria seconded the motion and it was passed unanimously by the council.