Funds totaling $39,862 were handed over by SMART to reimburse Mount Clemens for the operation of city-managed transportation services.
By: Dean Vaglia | Mount Clemens-Clinton-Harrison Journal | Published March 22, 2023
MOUNT CLEMENS — It was transportation night at the March 6 Mount Clemens City Commission meeting as commissioners agreed on two items related to the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, the region’s bus transit services provider.
The first SMART item was the distribution of American Rescue Plan Act funds from the agency to the city.
“Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation, as a direct recipient of
American Rescue Plan Act funding, has been designated to distribute this funding to subrecipients,” said Gregg Shipman, the interim city manager. “The purpose of this funding is to provide economic relief to entities affected by COVID-19.”
Funds totaling $39,862 were handed over from the agency to reimburse Mount Clemens for the operation of city-managed transportation services.
The second agreement was a contract for the Specialized Services Program for operating assistance, which allows for Michigan Department of Transportation funds to pay for SMART senior and handicapped transportation services.
METRO Act agreement
Commissioners also approved 123.Net, Inc. to operate in Mount Clemens under the Metropolitan Extension Telecommunications Rights-of-Way Oversight (METRO) Act. The Southfield-based fiber optics communications provider obtained a five-year permit to lay, maintain and install its cables within rights of way owned by the city of Mount Clemens.
This approval marks 123NET’s entry into Mount Clemens, though it is unknown if the company will make its fiber services available for residential use. Such services are only available in select communities in Wayne, Oakland and Washtenaw counties.
According to City Attorney Michael Murray, the METRO Act limits municipalities to charging communications companies a $500 permit to operate cables located in an area for five years. This was passed in 2002 to standardize permit fees across the state.
“The city still gets some fees though from their engineering, some (from) building, those types of things,” Murray said. “But this is just for the privilege of laying in the right of way.”
Blight ordinance amendment first reading
On March 6, city commissioners approved the first reading of amendments to the city’s blight elimination ordinance.
The changes made to sections 19.003 and 19.004 of the city’s code of ordinances will allow the Administrative Hearings Bureau to take over as the enforcement body for blight-related concerns. The changes will be made effective once a second reading has occurred, likely at the commission’s March 20 meeting.
Firefighters union agreement
A collective bargaining agreement between the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Local 838 and the city was approved unanimously. The contract will last for three years.