VBT approves first step in special assessment district for Homestead

At its brief regular meeting on May 16, the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees approved the first step in setting up a special assessment district for road improvements to Homestead Condominiums.
Homestead has about 100.62 acres of property and is located east of Morton Taylor Road and north of Ecorse Road.
The public hearing on the SAD is expected to be set for June 6. Officers of the homeowners association and contractor Allied Construction were present at the meeting. They said 58% of the homeowners signed the petition in favor of putting their share of the upgrades on their taxes over five years.
Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara said the township loans the money to the township’s own HOAs to upgrade their roads and keep them in good shape.
He said the Haggerty subdivision and Greenbriar projects are complete.
In other business at the 18-minute meeting, the township board:
• Approved the second reading and adoption of an ordinance that authorizes a single solid waste hauler, establishes guidelines, and authorizes a user fee for service. This is in preparation for township residents having to pay for their trash collection;
• Approved a revised memo of understanding with the Wayne County Land Bank Authority, as requested by the authority, for about $5,583.33 in funding to support demolition of a structure on the 4.25 acres of township property located at 39600 Tyler Rd., the former dog pound. An estimated cost of demolition is $8,000-$9,600, based on preliminary bids;
• Approved the resolution passed by the Local Development Finance Authority (LDFA) to amend its bylaws to have its regular meetings on a quarterly basis at 2 p.m. on the second Tuesdays of January, April, July, and October;
• Approved the supervisor’s reappointment of Denise Partridge to the Water & Sewer Commission with a term to expire June 1, 2025;
• Held a moment of silence in memory of Denise Willoughby who died suddenly on May 13. She was a Kindergarten teacher for 42 years, serving at Haggerty, Tyler, and Edgemont schools; served with Boy Scout Troop 231 for 16 years; and was a member of the township’s Recreation Committee. Supervisor McNamara said, “She was a wonderful volunteer”;
• Heard Supervisor McNamara put out a call of volunteers who are badly needed to deliver Meals on Wheels and work the food pantry. He said this need for volunteers is a county-wide problem; and
• Heard Treasurer Sharry Budd announce the township hall will be closed from 1 to 5 p.m. on May 17 for active shooter training.
Clerk Leon Wright and Trustee Kevin Martin were absent and excused from the May 16 meeting.