Port Huron council continues downtown special-assessment districts for Huron Avenue and Military Street

The Port Huron City Council voted unanimously to continue two downtown special-assessment districts that fund maintenance of the Huron Avenue streetscape and the Military Street project.

The council opened public hearings on the Huron Avenue Streetscape and the Military Street Special Assessment Districts, heard a written objection from a downtown property owner and answers from city staff about how assessments are calculated, then adopted the resolutions to continue both districts.

City staff said assessments are calculated by linear frontage. "It is assessed based on a linear footage of your frontage to the street," city staff member James said during the hearing, explaining that larger or smaller buildings are charged proportionally. Staff also said 36 parcels are included in the Huron Avenue district and that many downtown maintenance items—flower baskets, plantings and general upkeep—are paid from the assessment. A letter read into the record by the clerk quoted property owner Eugene Harrison saying his property receives none of the services and that he believes his property is assessed two to three times more than nearby parcels. James told the council this complaint was the only written objection received for that district.

Council discussion noted a difference between the two districts: the Military Street assessment is lower because that district does not include snow removal for most parcels. Council members said businesses and owners in Military Street had been surveyed and the majority declined snow removal, so the district charges less. The council adopted the continuations after a roll-call vote; the clerk recorded 'yes' votes from all members present.

The continued assessments keep in place funding for downtown plantings, maintenance and other streetscape upkeep. The council did not change assessment methodology at the meeting; staff repeated that frontage-based linear footage is the current calculation method and that the city has annually addressed questions about the assessment.

Council members said they will continue to field business and property-owner questions about services and the assessment calculations.