Adrian City Commission sets public hearing for road work special assessment districts

Brad Heineman, The Daily Telegram
·5 min read

ADRIAN — A number of road improvement projects in the city of Adrian that have been completed or are nearing completion are being prepared for cost certification and to be added to the city’s special assessment district tax rolls.

Before such a process begins, the Adrian City Commission will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Feb. 6 during its regular meeting at the City Chambers building in downtown Adrian, 159 E. Maumee St., for the purpose of reviewing the rolls and hearing any comments or objections from the public.

At its Jan. 17 meeting, the commission held a first reading of the four special assessment district (SAD) road improvement projects, which included the reconstruction of Cherry Street from West Maple Avenue to River Street, the reconstruction of Summer Street from West Maple Avenue to River Street, the reconstruction of South Scott Street from College Avenue to Vine Street, and the Maumee Court reconstruction project.

The commission will not take action on finalizing and approving the costs of these projects until the February public hearing is closed and comments have been heard.

Adrian City Clerk Robin Connor has certified the total costs of each of the reconstruction projects and reports have been forwarded to city administrator Greg Elliott, who recommends their approval.

Costs and the breakdown of each road reconstruction is as follows:

• For the Cherry Street reconstruction, the total cost of the project is $69,844. Of that amount, $31,789.92 will be assessed on properties according to the frontage of land benefiting from the improvement, a memorandum from the city said. The city will pay $38,054.08 through local street funds.

• For the Summer Street reconstruction, the total cost of the project is $56,923.61. Of that amount, $24,692.39 will be assessed on properties according to the frontage of land benefiting from the improvement. The city will pay $32,231.22 through local street funds.

• For the South Scott Street reconstruction, the total cost of the project is $438,495.28. Of that amount, $69,337.59 will be assessed on properties according to the frontage of land benefiting from the improvement. The city will pay $369,157.69 through local street funds.

• For the Maumee Court reconstruction, the total cost of the project is $228,737.82. Of that amount, $53,908.74 will be assessed on properties according to the frontage of land benefiting from the improvement. The city will pay $174,829.08 through local street funds.

Public hearings were held in March 2022 for the special assessment districts on Cherry and Summer streets, with some public pushback at the time. The projects moved forward, and reconstruction work on those streets — which consisted of the installation of curb and gutters, resurfacing and base stabilization — commenced in the summer.

Special assessment districts are a designated area where a majority of property owners agree to allow a government agency to levy a property tax in exchange for a specific service. In this case, the service that was provided is the improvement to public roads.

With authorization of the assessments by the city commission, costs of the projects levied against those homeowners will be divided into 10 equal installments, a memo from the city said, with the rate of interest being set at 6% annually, according to Adrian’s code of ordinances.

Connor, meanwhile, will provide notice to homeowners within the levied areas that the SAD roll is on file for public examination and that the public hearing is open for comments and objections.

In other business

The Adrian City Commission, at its Jan. 17 meeting, also:

  • Approved two new on-premises and off-premises tasting room license permits through the Michigan Liquor Control Commission filed by Veritas Vineyard LLC, for 136 S. Main St.. The owners of Grand River Brewery, according to a memo to the city commission from Jay Marks, executive director of Downtown Adrian/Main Street DDA, have controlling interest in the property and intend to move forward with development. The intended use, Marks said, will be a brewery with a full-service restaurant, including events and catering.

  • Approved the reappointment of Dusty Steele, Margaret Noe and Jim Kapnick as board members representing the city on the Adrian-Tecumseh Local Development Finance Authority, each with four-year terms expiring June 30, 2026. Steele, Noe and Kapnick are the current Adrian representatives on the authority, and each of them expressed interest in continuing their service, a memo from the city said. In a separately approved motion, Jason Derby, president of Creek Enterprises, was the recommended nominee to serve as an at-large member on the finance authority, which demonstrates a collective interest in improving the business environment in Lenawee County. Derby’s term is also for four years, expiring June 30, 2026.

  • Approved the recommended appointment of Joaquin Ramos and Dalila John to serve three-year terms on the Adrian District Library board.

  • Authorized the use of funds from the Riverview Terrace Response Fund to aid former residents of the apartment building with costs directly related to moving property out from the still-condemned structure. The response fund is managed through an agreement between the city of Adrian and the Lenawee Community Foundation. The amount of funds to be disbursed will be known when relocating property from the apartment building is completed, subject to restrictions as determined by the Adrian Emergency Operations Center Team.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian sets public hearing dates for road special assessment districts