Scio Township Board proposes township-wide assessment to fund roadwork
The Scio Township Board will hold a public hearing on Sept. 12 to discuss a plan for a new township-wide assessment to fund additional road work, the Dexter Leader reported.
The plan is to improve ‘connector’ roads by collecting a tax of $85 per year from each property parcel owner, excluding those who live in the village of Dexter, over a 10-year period.
The proposed plan follows the board’s confirmation on Aug. 13 of levies in special assessment districts established on Newman Boulevard, at Rose Drive, in The Glade Subdivision and at Parkland Plaza, the newspaper reported.
Over a 10-year period, businesses and residents in these districts will be assessed taxes totaling around $702,000. Work could begin this fall.
Chelsea Hoedl is an intern reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at choedl@mlive.com.
Comments
ski&golfnut
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 2:30 p.m.
While this is an additional tax, it is a way to direct ALL of the dollars collected under the Special Assessment District toward the township roads. Thanks Lew and the committee for all your volunteer time and effort to study, develop and educate Scio Citizens about the Assessment District.
DennisP
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 11:35 a.m.
The assumption that no one benefits from good roads if they don't drive them or live along them is specious. Roads permit goods, services and emergency responders to move. Even the small, less traveled roads serve important purposes in getting farm goods to market, bringing power lines to the communities, etc. An effective road system is essential and is an important shared burden. That said, there already is a funding mechanism in place that has drawn billions over the years but redirects all the funds to Lansing which no longer doles out the dollars back to the communities. In the meantime, Lansing repeatedly pays again and again to repave roads damaged by overloaded trucks (See Detroit Free Press) articles while the truck lobby keeps greasing those political wheels. Finally, instead of caring for the roads first, we have "new" questionable projects at the County level like a roundabout on Geddes near Canton Twp and one on Pontiac Trail out at the rural edges of the county just to accommodate some sub traffic at 5 pm while other road surfaces deteriorate or become impassable (Liberty at Scio). What we need to demand is accountability on the part of these funds and a better statewide allocation of costs among those that damage them the most. We also don't need new road projects until we fix the roads we have.
H.
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 12:10 p.m.
Dennis, You are uniformed. First off, the roundabout at Geddes Road is 100% funded by a development. No federal aid it involved. Second, there are regulations in place to pave roads. Every year roads are rated on a 1-10 scale (10 being the best, 1 the worst). Once a road reaches a rating of 3/4 or worse, it cannot be resurfaced with federal dollars. It must be totally reconstructed. That requires millions of dollars that are not available. The theory behind it (right of wrong) is to preserve your good roads to make them last longer and not throw good money after bad on roads too far gone. The problem is there are many miles of roads that are 1-4 and not 5-10. So when you see potholed filled roads not being worked on, that is why. It is not a county decision. It is a lack of funding and stings attached to the money.
NSider
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 11:26 a.m.
To heck with this.. put an assessment on every one of those new developments that have been in the news the last two weeks, starting at Menards. It is all that NEW traffic that is really going to bollocks up the roads out there.
Nicholas Urfe
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 1:40 a.m.
So someone who does not drive, or even is disabled, pays the same amount as a company that does millions a year in business? That is just more corporate welfare, where those with low income are unfairly and disproportionally taxed.
Hot Sam
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 12:24 a.m.
Just say no...
Goober
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 9:45 p.m.
No city or township seems to have enough money to cover the basics for the tax payers. But, they seem to always have enough for wages, gold plated benefits inclusive of life long pensions. Go figure!
Itchy
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 7:49 p.m.
Well said, Goob. Well said.
snoopdog
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 5:52 p.m.
Well said Goober, I will vote no on anything until public employees unions are dissolved and their benefits are more in line with the private sector. Good Day
D Benoit
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 2:04 p.m.
Rather the County Road Commission does not have the money to provide basic maintenance on these roads. The township's proposal is one of providing an alternative to benefit its residents. If the residents want to reject or challenge the assessment, the road commission will continue to neglect them for years to come. People should really contact them and ask why they can't take care of it. "The Board meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month, at 1:00 p.m. (unless otherwise noted in the schedule). The meetings are held in the Boardroom at the Road Commission main facility located at 555 North Zeeb Road in Ann Arbor, MI." Source: http://www.wcroads.org/About/Board
clownfish
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 12:02 p.m.
Go down to the twp hall and tell them you will work for less pay and no benefits. If performing actual work on the roads in beneath you then you could run for the twp board and be on the other end of contract negotiations. Last time I checked, a wage was a basic for employees and pensions were negotiated by both parties.
TryingToBeObjective
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 9:44 p.m.
Do the residents who live on some of these "connector roads" pay less taxes since their road isn't paved? If so, why would the rest of the township pay for these unpaved roads? I remember reading the list, and I never use any of them. Assess those who live on the roads, and actually use them. Can anyone answer my questions above?
ac10award
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 5:21 p.m.
Try harder to be objective. "Few use unpaved roads." Scio is 50% rural in nature, hundreds of people a day use unpaved roads for some part of their drive. One of the sections of road proposed to be repaved needs grading every two weeks, spills silt into the Huron River, makes Huron River drive hazardous by covering it with large amounts of gravel. At times it is impassible to school buses. And we are both paying for the maintenance on it, which does actually happen. All you see is just your world, and its still all about you.
D Benoit
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 1:57 p.m.
All residents pay the same tax rate the amount then varies based on the value of their property and the value is not determined by type of road. The variable is the changes based on the amount of land, quality of a home/building, and the 'permanent fixtures' within the boundaries of a property. A trailer on 1 acre with a dirt road will pay the same amount as an identical property and trailer on a paved one.
TryingToBeObjective
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 1:35 p.m.
Still waiting for any of the roads surrounding where I live to be resurfaced, let alone "maintained."15 years of paying for nothing. But let's pay extra for dirt roads to be regraded. And apparently no one can answer the question: do residents who live on unpaved roads pay lower taxes than those on paved roads? If so, shouldn't we all pay the same, since those who live on paved roads are being charged even more to regrade unpaved roads? All of us use the paved roads. Few use the unpaved ones.
ac10award
Tue, Aug 20, 2013 : 12:23 p.m.
I suspect that there are many benefits from living where you do that is paid for by someone who does not use those benefits as much as you. These roads are currently maintained at higher cost now because they are carrying much more traffic than unimproved roads are designed to do. Improving them will lower cost in the long run and improve safety. Perhaps not for you, but you and only you is what matters to you.
TryingToBeObjective
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 10:40 p.m.
Who intentionally uses a dirt road when a paved one is available?
Chris
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 10:38 p.m.
So the cars that do use those roads but don't belong to owners living along those roads would do what? Throw spare change out the window?
Amy Biolchini
Mon, Aug 19, 2013 : 9:29 p.m.
Scio Township started its pursuit of a township-wide tax in earnest this March. The story we ran describing the concept drew a lot of ire from readers—it should be interesting to see what happens at this public meeting when the residents have their chance to speak. http://www.annarbor.com/news/scio-considers-township-wide-solution-to-fund-its-own-road-repairs/