The Harrison Township Board of Trustees approved budget items and an engineering design for a special assessment district in a 6-0 vote on Dec. 15.
By: Alyssa Ochss | Mount Clemens-Clinton-Harrison Journal | Published January 12, 2026
HARRISON TOWNSHIP — At their meeting on Dec. 15, the Harrison Township Board of Trustees approved a series of items related to a special assessment district and their budget.
According to a report attached to the agenda, the township and the residents of Pointe Rosa Street have been working together to create a special assessment district to reconstruct their roadway.
“We were successful in being selected for the Macomb County Department of Roads (MCDR) Subdivision Reconstruction Program,” a report included with the agenda states. “As with previous projects under this program, the work will include pavement reconstruction and necessary drainage improvements.”
The report also states the program requires the township to perform the design engineering. Instead of giving the project to its previous engineering company, the township opted to award the work to the incoming township engineers, Fishbeck, due to the transition between engineering service providers.
The anticipated cost of the engineering services is around $54,936.
Harrison Township Supervisor Kenneth Verkest said they’ve participated in the Subdivision Reconstruction Program since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve done several local or neighborhood roads through this program,” Verkest said. “It’s a 50/50 match.”
He said it is not something new and that it typically results in a special assessment district. The cost is split between the township and the county and since the township doesn’t have the means to fund its half, they create a SAD.
Previously, the engineering designs were provided by Wade Trim, but since they were transitioning between companies, Verkest said they felt it made sense for Fishbeck to complete it.
Verkest said the services are a bit time sensitive.
“We need to have this in place and there is a 30% target and a 70% target because the county is going to take our project, bundle it with projects that could be in Shelby, Clinton, Macomb, Washington, Lenox Township and they bid all these as one big package so they need that design engineering and those unit prices established by the springtime,” Verkest said.
Trustee Liza Brown asked if the residents have already approved this. The short answer was no, but Verkest explained that the process has evolved. The county asks for the number of residents who have indicated informally they’d want the district. Verkest said the township has heard from the majority of residents on the street informally and have been told they want the district.
Brown asked if they could lose the funding if the needed percentage of residents did not approve it. Verkest said he doesn’t know if they’d be out the money.
“But there is the potential that we could begin engineering only to find out that they can’t reach a majority,” Verkest said. “In that situation we would halt the engineering, but we would be stuck with a finite amount of money.”
Verkest said in order to get the grant, they had to spend thousands of dollars to prepare the application.
“Laws governing SADs do allow us to retain a certain percent,” Verkest said.
Verkest said this is the third time the residents of Pointe Rosa applied for a SAD. Verkest said he can’t think of a time where they didn’t reach the needed number of residents, but it is a potential risk.
Trustee Brian Batkins pointed out a section that stated if legal actions are required, they’d have to go to Grand Rapids for federal or state court.
“I’d like to see if we could get that revised to Detroit,” Batkins said. “Because that’s their headquarters and my guess is that’s why they want to do it there.”
Verkest noted to ask for a mutually agreed upon Michigan venue.
The board also approved the 2026 fiscal year budget for the township. Verkest said that after a budget workshop, they came up with a balanced budget. They also approved the budget amendments from 2025.
All items were approved in a 6-0 vote. Harrison Township Clerk Adam Wit was excused from the meeting.