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Macomb trustees accept grant, amend ordinances

By: Dean Vaglia | Macomb Chronicle | Published August 24, 2022

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MACOMB TOWNSHIP — The Macomb Township Board of Trustees met for its first meeting of August on Wednesday, Aug. 10, voting on a variety of items including accepting a $50,400 hazard mitigation grant.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant will be used to pay for a $56,000 backup generator at water and sewer pump station 8, with the 25% local match being reduced to 10%.

“As a result of the flooding that occurred in the Midland area in June 2020, FEMA authorized grant funds for municipalities in need of backup generators at high-priority infrastructure sites,” Macomb Township Fire Department Chief Robert Phillips said. “Pump station 8 met the criteria as it had been previously identified as a high-priority site.”

Philips submitted the grand on behalf of the Department of Public Works.

 

Ordinance amendments
The board amended two ordinances, the first being the township’s animal control ordinance. At the urging of Macomb County Animal Control Chief Jeff Randazzo, the amendment replaces the existing ordinance’s definitions section (Section 4-16) as well as includes the full language of the county’s regulations. The amendment was passed unanimously.

The board also amended its ordinance regulating when and how long construction can occur, allowing road construction to operate between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and all other construction between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The unanimously passed ordinance is a follow-up to a waiver granted for extended saw cutting hours for road work, which a public commenter expressed displeasure with at the start of the meeting due to constant noise of early- and late-day construction.

“I recognize that this is an inconvenience,” Township Supervisor Frank Viviano said. “It is a long-term benefit to the township and to the residents who are going to be living on that road. … Replacing the roads is extremely expensive, and if they fall apart prematurely, that’s a [cost] the township and the residents are going to have to absorb.”

 

Lighting SADs update
The board unanimously approved an adjustment to the annual rate for each of the lighting special assessment districts to better represent the amount DTE charges the township for streetlights usage. While DTE’s rates have gone up over the years, the township’s rates have not.

“In order for us to make the adjustments, we’ve had to do a complete audit of all the streetlights within the township’s system,” Jim Van Tiflin, township land development director, said. “That was necessary because DTE only gives us a bill for the lights; they don’t break it down by subdivision.”

Older neighborhoods will see higher increases than newer ones due to the older rates being lower. Van Tiflin expects that the rates will be adjusted on a yearly basis.

 

CMPL board appointee approved
The board unanimously approved James Veal to fill the township’s seat on the Clinton-Macomb Public Library Board of Trustees. An 18-year resident of the township, Veal says on his resume that his family was asked to participate in the opening ceremony of the CMPL’s south branch due to being “Super Users” as well as attending the groundbreaking and opening ceremony of the north branch. Veal and family have participated in many of the CMPL’s programs for kids, teens and adults, even doing so virtually during COVID-19.

The decision to appoint Veal — one of several applicants to fill the township’s open seat on the board — came after a meeting with Viviano, the CMPL board and CMPL Director Larry Neal.

“All of us agreed that Mr. Veal would be an excellent fit on the library board,” Viviano said. “He brings 18 years of professional experience with him. In talking with him, I was confident that he both recognizes and is willing to serve as our representative to the library board, both understanding the fiduciary responsibility and the fact that we want our library to be an asset not only now but in the years to come.”

Veal’s seat was previously held by Michael Lotito and will be up for renewal on April 30, 2023.

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