Macomb Township Board of Trustees changes direction on house sale

MACOMB TOWNSHIP — The Macomb Township Board of Trustees changed its tune about how it plans to sell off a piece of property, making its decision at the Aug. 14 meeting.

Trustees voted unanimously to change its method of selling the house at 21560 23 Mile Road from a direct sale from the township to a transaction handled through the township’s real estate broker, Pilot Property Group.

“When (Supervisor Frank) Viviano had contacted the broker about possibly getting it listed on the MLS site, they generously offered to list it themselves without charging us any of their fees,” Macomb Township Chief Financial Officer Stacy Smith said. “We will still have our normal closing costs, which we would have even if we were doing it ‘for sale by owner.’ We figured that since they have more experience and the purchasing department has never sold a home before, we thought that may be the best method.”

According to Viviano, Pilot Property Group mainly handles commercial properties but was willing to take on the home and waive the fee as a gift after working with the township for years. The arrangement takes the responsibility of selling the home out of the township’s hands and leaves Pilot with the responsibility of listing, showing and closing the sale of the home.

Trustees originally moved to sell the home itself at the board’s July 24 meeting. The home was purchased in 2021 for $195,000 due to the risk it would be damaged by the construction of a nearby pump station. With that work wrapping up and no structural damage occurring — but at least $30,000 in mold remediation being required — the township plans to sell the home as-is.

Mobile lights purchase

Trustees also approved the purchase of three mobile LED light towers.

“The lighting will be used at Town Center Park for the Macomb Mustangs practices, as well as (during) our outdoor special events such as our Halloween Hoopla and the tree lighting,” Macomb Township Parks and Recreation Director Sal DiCaro said. “They can also be used on-site as generators, which will be helpful in case of emergencies.”

The total cost of the three lights and shipping them comes out to $28,516.50, purchased from Federal Contracts Corp. of Tampa, Florida.