Grosse Ile board advances Elba Island special-assessment process, sets next hearing

The Grosse Ile Township Board of Trustees on June 9 voted to advance the Elba Island special-assessment process, amending the assessment roll language and specifying a five-year repayment term for the proposed resurfacing of the private portion of Elba/Elba Drive.

The action authorizes staff to prepare an assessment roll and sets a follow-up public hearing for June 23; the board did not finalize a special-assessment levy tonight, but voted to continue the statutory process that could lead to assessments against parcels in the district.

Nut graf: The board approved a resolution to proceed with the special-assessment district after reviewing project costs and hearing from residents. The motion—carried by majority vote—authorizes staff to prepare the assessment roll with amended language to apply the total special-assessment cost equally across parcels and to publish notice for the next hearing. The vote is a procedural step, not a final levy.

Officials and details: Township staff described the project total and how assessments would be calculated. Staff reported a base construction estimate of $67,160.75 using the township's vendor; a statutorily allowable 5% administrative fee of $3,358 brings the project subtotal to $70,518.79. Interest at 5% on the assessment was estimated at $9,327.80, producing a total special-assessment amount of roughly $79,846.59. The proposed district would cover 16 parcels; dividing the total evenly resulted in a per-parcel assessment of $4,990.41, or an annual payment of about $998.08 under a five-year amortization. Staff and residents noted property owners may prepay to reduce interest expense.

Resident concern and amendment: Owen Friese of 28402 Elba Drive asked why the draft resolution used language about assessing “relative benefit” proportional to frontage or parcel characteristics; he said the neighborhood expects an equal split. Board members agreed and the resolution's paragraph 4 was amended on the record to state the roll shall apply the total special-assessment cost against each addressed parcel of land (the board’s revised wording was read into the record).

Process and next steps: The board's vote authorizes staff to prepare the assessment roll and publish notice for an additional public hearing to consider the finalized roll on June 23. Board members emphasized this vote does not finalize the assessment or levy; a later hearing and a published roll are required by state statute before any assessment is confirmed. Staff also told residents that funds for the work would initially come from a township revolving loan fund and be repaid to that fund once assessments are collected.

Quotes: "If you're paying upfront without that five-year duration, your interest expense would then go down," Finance Director Theresa McLaughlin said, explaining how prepayment would affect interest costs. Resident Owen Friese asked the board to remove the proportional-benefit language so parcels are assessed equally: "I think we're all agreeing that we're getting split 16 ways... that isn't exactly the way this is written," he said.

Ending: The board carried the motion to continue the special-assessment process and directed staff to return with the prepared roll and required notices. If the roll and the next public hearing clear the statutory steps, the board would consider finalizing the assessment at a subsequent meeting.