It took three attempts, but by the end of their Aug. 5 meeting, the Independence Township Board last week approved a special assessment district for a new Sashabaw drain system.
Related to but different from a proposed special assessment for the road itself, the drain system is seen as the answer to water management from recent and future development in the Sashabaw Road corridor.
In a district running along the west side of Sashabaw Road from Maybee Road north to I-75 beyond Waldon Road, construction of the drain system will cost an estimated $1.32 million.
The struggle came in how to fairly distribute the special assessment, especially in the Links of Independence development. The proposed tax roll for the special assessment district showed $162,000 divided among only 65 occupied units (at $2,883 each), even though the development will eventually contain 159 units.
Jim Clark, CEO of Robertson Independence LLC asked for a way to levy the assessment when the other units are occupied, thus making the individual assessment share $1,025.
“We understand and support the project,” Clark said. “I’d like to not support it until we get that worked out.”
Contracted township engineer Jamie Burton said it was a legitimate concern.
“We need to look into this,” Burton said. “All the acreage is accounted for.”
The problem, according to Supervisor Dale Stuart, was the need to approve the tax roll so construction contracts could be approved. Further, the tax roll is established by the township assessor based on actual taxpayers.
“We can’t keep changing the tax roll over the next 10 years,” Stuart said. “We can’t approve this on hypothetical units. If we don’t let these contracts, the project won’t get done.”
Township attorney Steve Joppich consulted with Clark outside the meeting room as the board conducted other business. Eventually there was agreement that Clark would attempt to get the other units on the assessor’s records before the special assessment is levied.
Clark was not the only speaker at the public hearing. Harry Fagan, a resident of the Waldon Pond neighborhood, said the timing of the project is unfair to those who have already survived one round of construction.
“Now you’re asking us to pay for something that should have been done six years ago,” Fagan said.
Burton said a drain system was under consideration several years ago, but there was uncertainty about how to engineer things based on future development.
“Now we know how all the other developments fit,” Burton said.
Property owners included in the special assessment district have a choice to pay the full drain assessment up front or make installment payments to the township over 15 years.