Residents speak on repaving district

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — A public hearing for road improvement projects on Cortez Street, Santose Street and Carno Circle was held at the Sept. 25 Harrison Township Board of Trustees meeting.

“This is a special assessment that was driven by resident petitions that we had over 50% of the frontage represented in favor of the project, and we’re moving forward with it through the Macomb County subdivision reconstruction grant program,” Township Clerk Adam Wit said.

The project, if taken through the full process, would crush and remove the existing road surface and replace it with new asphalt; it would also involve some minor drainage work. If the project is included in the Macomb County subdivision reconstruction grant program, the Macomb County Department of Roads will cover the cost of additional drainage work. The total cost of the work is estimated to be $397,165 and will be split among several lots in the Eldorado Knolls, Betty Jean and Ferro Acres subdivisions.

Several residents of the district spoke during the hearing, with three of them worried they would be charged for repairs to a street they don’t live on.

“My house fronts Townhall (Street),” said resident Gilbert Richard. “My address is on Townhall. My garage faces Townhall also. The repaving of Cortez does me very little good. … I don’t believe I should be included in the assessment.”

To these concerns, Township Supervisor Ken Verkest told residents that while the decision to include homes and advance the assessment is based on linear feet frontage, the township encourages the payment to be split up based on the driveway access.

Two residents also took issue with the cost of the repairs needing to be covered by current property owners, meaning anyone looking to sell a home or land in the district will have to pay their share of the assessment before doing so. Wit said that sometimes the assessments have been passed along, although they are usually included as part of the closing costs.

“What we usually see is a negotiation and settlement between the two parties,” Wit said.

Trustees approved a resolution confirming the public hearing was held and set the next hearing for Monday, Oct. 23, at 7 p.m. at Rosso Hall.

 

Early voting resolution
Trustees approved the board room at Rosso Hall as the designated early voting site for the township in 2024. The location was recently reviewed for accessibility.