The Detroit News Agrees: Lawmakers Must Protect Sewage Bond Money
It's not just the environmental groups calling out the Michigan Legislature’s plan to divert sewage funds for different purposes --- others are taking notice, too.
In a blog post last week, we outlined a state plan to take money from bonds for sewage system updates and spend the money on other purposes, such as cleaning up contaminated and deserted brownfield sites.
A few days later, The Detroit News published an editorial of their own on the subject. “It's hard to argue the bond program has money to spare when the state's natural resources department estimates that 40 billion gallons of raw or partially-treated sewage flow each year into Michigan waterways,” the editorial said.
So the need is great for improved wastewater infrastructure, but lawmakers are dragging their feet when it comes to spending money on solving the problem. So far the government has spent “only about $150 million [of the] $1 billion authorized by voters eight years ago for reducing sewage outflows into waterways,” The News reported.
It's time for our lawmakers to stay accountable for the sewage containment they promised us in the first place. According to another one of our blogs, investing in wastewater infrastructure will not only protect our water but also provide jobs and save money. Let’s make sure that before the government moves on to their next project, they fix our sewers first.
--- Photo by Abby Barkwell
Comments
Diversion of sewage monies for cleanup of brownsfields
The diversion of sewage monies for the cleanup of Brownsfields is in direct contravention with the Brownsfield legislation stated purpose and process. Properties are identified as being environmentally unsound based upon past uses of the land at public hearings. The comunities are not to spend any monies on the cleanup instead this is a tax incentive law by which the owner/purchaser would conduct the cleanup as determined by the new use. The costs for the cleanup are to be paid by the landowner. Over a period of years these monies are then credited against the property taxes on the property until the out of pocket monies were satisfied. Thus land was improved, cleaned and new building and uses generating a new tax base was put into place without a load on the community's treasury. This type of tax incentive is similar to tax abatements in concept.
To instead take monies from the sewage budget, which is directly from the tax payers' pocket, flies in the face of the purpose and monetary burdens. Additionally, the use of the environmentally unsound land has different Brownsfield cleanup requirements based upon the proposed new use. So what will the standards be for this diverted monies cleanup when there is no proposed use?
This is a complex, well written bill and the only reason these peoperties are currently not being built upon is for the same reason that construction in Michigan is down. A better idea is to incresae publication of lists of Brownsfield classfied properties and to promote the benefits to industry and commerce as part of the State's Economic Development program.
I have individually spotted builders at known Brownsfield properties and stopped to discuss the projects that they have started. They were unaware the property had been reclassified a Brownfield and immediately consulted its attorneys and filed with the community for approval of the use and cleanup benefits.The project had already cleared all planning approval requirements and no information in this regard had been provided to the builder. Comunities do not always inform developers and/ or realtors who inquire at City Hall that the property is a Brownfield parcel.