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Clare County board authorizes initial work and studies for Doc and Tom and Cranberry Lakes; property assessments possible
Summary
The Clare County Board approved resolutions allowing the Drain Commissioner to begin engineering studies and permitting for repairs at Doc and Tom and Cranberry Lakes, with estimated study and construction costs likely to be assessed to affected property owners; the board also approved routine finance items and several administrative appointments.
The Clare County Board of Commissioners on a recorded vote authorized the Drain Commissioner to begin the statutory process for repairs and studies at Doc and Tom Lakes and Cranberry Lake, a step that county counsel said is required for any planned work estimated to exceed $10,000.
The action, moved and seconded at the meeting, approved two resolutions that counsel described as the statutory authorization for the county to proceed under Part 307 of Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. "Whenever any work is going to be over $10,000 the County Board has to authorize it," attorney Kyle O'Meara told the board, explaining the county’s obligation to initiate the process and that exact project costs come later when the Drain Commission prepares a computation of costs and an assessment roll.
Why it matters: County counsel and staff said the state regulator (the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, EGLE) has issued repeated inspection notices for these structures; if the county does not authorize the Drain Commissioner to move forward, EGLE could order repairs and the county could ultimately be required to pay from the general fund. O'Meara said the typical sequence is: engineering and permitting work, a computation of costs, an assessment hearing where affected property owners may object, and then the board approves the assessment roll.
What was approved: The board adopted the resolutions authorizing expenditures above $10,000 to allow engineers and the Drain Commissioner's office to study, design and pursue permitting for the described repairs. O'Meara relayed ballpark figures provided by county engineers: "construction costs alone, I have estimates from the engineer for Doc and Tom to be around 60 to 80,000 and then Cranberry Lake actually to be 60 to 80,000." He also noted preliminary study and permitting estimates "around $15,000" for Doc and Tom and about $40,000 for design work on Cranberry Lake. He stressed that none of that work has been bid and that exact figures will be presented later in the assessment process.
Who pays: Under the statute explained at the meeting, costs for lake-level work are generally assessed to properties inside a court-established special assessment district that the court found to be benefited by the lake level. Board materials and counsel emphasized that assessments are only levied after the county approves actual computations of cost and that there will be notice and an assessment hearing before property owners are billed.
Other actions at the meeting: The board also approved (by roll call or voice vote as noted) routine finance items and administrative measures: approval of Debt Security Finance Committee minutes and reported expenditures; authorization of a county credit card with a $3,000 limit for maintenance/housing use; appointment of Dale Majeski as an alternate check signer in the event the administrator is incapacitated; and appointment of Ross Wilson as the county’s Land Bank representative. The board received routine reports on audit progress, a reported Charter Spectrum fiber expansion and broadband grant activity, tax-notice mailings related to prior foreclosure proceedings and an upcoming dog-licensing clinic.
Public comment and context: During public comment, Pat Adams, a Clare County resident, raised concerns about the timing and optics of a prosecutor pay raise and a prior lawsuit that the commenter said cost the county about $80,000; board members responded that a personnel and wage study had informed pay adjustments and that the current prosecutor is reported to be operating within budget. The transcript records the public comment and the commissioners’ responses but contains no formal board action tied to the prosecutor matter.
What happens next: County counsel and the Drain Commissioner will proceed with the engineering and permitting steps authorized by the resolutions. If and when the Drain Commission prepares computations of cost, the board will schedule assessment hearings and later vote on the assessment rolls. The board approved the resolutions on the record during the meeting and then moved on to other business and routine administrative approvals.
