Совет штата Клинтон выделил 65 тысяч долларов на ремонт дороги Финли, чтобы спасти проект от провала

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Residents of one Clinton Township neighborhood are getting a rare opportunity thanks to a decision by the township board on Aug. 24. Clinton Township trustees unanimously voted to help fund the Finley Street road replacement special assessment district by covering $65,000 (around 2.25%) of the project. The step to use township funds for such a purpose came about due to a variety of factors, most notably the realities of SAD projects required for neighborhood road repairs. Historically, SADs for neighborhood road projects in Macomb County townships have been covered 50-50 by the county road agency and the community. For the local portion, funds are raised through special property tax assessments along the targeted road. The Macomb County Department of Roads recently informed Clinton Township that it had raised its share of the split from 50% to 75%, and for Finely Street, there would also be a 10% township funding requirement specifically for water and sewer projects related to the road repair. However, even with around 85% of the project being funded, the remaining 15% was seen as too much for Finley residents to cover as there are two church properties on the street that Township Supervisor Paul Gieleghem believed would not sign onto the SAD petition, therefore not allowing the project to move forward. The $65,000 from the township’s infrastructure fund is directly covering the share of the district’s assessment that would be provided by the churches. It is uncommon for townships to directly provide funding for SAD projects in Macomb County, but Gieleghem told trustees that the use of infrastructure funds to cover gaps in SADs could be done on a case-by-case basis going forward. “I think a lot of these (SADs) have individual and unique characteristics where making a blanket policy is difficult, so I see these things coming to the board as people petition their neighbors and we come up with a funding formula that works,” Gieleghem said. “The good thing is that we have more money coming from the county because the county has more money coming from the state. This is the opportunity where we can get a project that was, quite frankly, impossible up until this point.” The funding relies on neighbors agreeing to the SAD petition. If agreed to, the normal SAD process of public hearings and approvals will take place. Water contract update Trustees also approved an amendment to the township’s contract with the Great Lakes Water Authority. The amendment to the contract focuses on lowering the township’s peak hour and max day upper use limits; they are now at 17.6 and 19.5 million gallons per day, respectively, after being set at 19.7 and 22 million gallons per day for the last contract cycle. According to Clinton Township Department of Public Works Director Mary Bednar, the decreases may lead to lower water rates. “We’re hoping that our reduction in those (units) will help offset any rate increases,” Bednar said. “We’ll still have rate increases, but we’re hoping it won’t be as much.” Peak hour and max day values are based on systemwide monitoring of residential water usage between June 1 and Aug. 1 between midnight and 6 a.m.