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Michigan House approves bill letting counties assess DNR land for drain maintenance
Summary
The Michigan House passed House Bill 4118 to allow county drain commissioners to apply drain assessments to properties managed by the Department of Natural Resources, a change supporters said will spread costs more evenly for maintenance projects such as the Curtis Drain.
The Michigan House of Representatives on May 13 passed House Bill 4118, a measure that allows county drain commissioners to apply drain assessments to properties managed by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) the same way they are applied to private or Department of Transportation property.
Supporters said the change addresses what they described as an unfair cost burden on a small number of private landowners when drains cross large parcels of state-managed land. "This policy is about fairness to Michigan property owners, and I urge a yes vote," Representative Schuette said during floor remarks in support of the bill.
The bill would amend provisions in the Drain Code of 1956 to remove DNR-managed property from an explicit exemption for drain assessments. Representative Schuette cited the Curtis Drain, which crosses Midland and Gladwin counties, as an example where maintenance needs fall disproportionately on a few farmers because adjacent DNR land was exempt from assessment costs.
House floor leaders moved the measure to immediate passage. The clerk reported a final roll-call tally of 104 ayes and 2 nays; the bill passed and immediate effect was ordered.
Discussion vs. decision: floor discussion consisted mainly of Representative Schuette’s explanation of the perceived fairness problem and a request for support. Formal action included the majority floor leader’s motion to place the bill on immediate passage and the recorded roll-call vote. The transcript does not show other amendments or directions to staff.
The change affects county drain assessment practice statewide and shifts the statutory treatment of DNR-managed land under the Drain Code of 1956. Implementation will follow as the law takes effect; the transcript does not specify an effective date or additional administrative steps.
The bill’s passage transferred the statutory treatment of DNR-managed parcels for drain assessments from exempt to assessable, which supporters said will spread maintenance costs over more properties rather than concentrating them on a few private landowners.
