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Commission begins drafting bridge ordinance to set fees, exceptions and enforcement
Summary
Commissioners discussed creating a township ordinance to formalize exceptions for free crossings (school buses, emergency vehicles), penalties for pass misuse, and jurisdictional enforcement on the bridge.
Commissioners discussed the need to develop an ordinance — rather than an internal policy — to make bridge rules enforceable in court. Derek Field presented a memo outlining topics the ordinance should address, including fee exceptions, penalties for improper use of passes, and jurisdictional questions for enforcement.
Commission members and staff reviewed existing informal exceptions that were in place before township ownership and those adopted during recent Wayne County bridge closures. Maureen, the bridge operator, said police, ambulances and fire trucks did not pay tolls during closures and that the township expanded free passage for school buses when it took ownership; previously the passes applied only to Grosse Ile school buses. The commission described the current, interim practice allowing township-owned vehicles performing township business to cross without charge during county bridge closures and noted commissioners made ad hoc decisions for operational continuity.
Members said an ordinance should specify which users may be exempt from fees (for example, school buses and emergency vehicles), state penalties for pass misuse (for example, using a Class 1 personal pass in a commercial vehicle), and set fines or removal procedures for abuse. Commissioners also raised enforcement questions because the bridge spans municipal boundaries: half of the bridge lies within Township of Grosse Ile jurisdiction and the other half in the City of Riverview. Staff advised the commission to consult the township attorney about jurisdictional limits and the possibility of concurrent-jurisdiction agreements or mutual-aid arrangements; commissioners noted that Riverview police had authorized Grosse Ile officers to operate on the bridge during the Wayne County closure under mutual-aid.
Staff proposed forming a small work group (one or two commissioners, the bridge operator and operations staff) to draft an outline of the ordinance topics for review and then send a formal draft to the township attorney for legal formatting.
