CLINTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Residents of a Clinton Township subdivision are split on paying a huge levy to fix their roads.
Five months after the process began, things came to a head at a township meeting on Monday night.
Thornton Street in Clinton Township is a minefield of potholes, and residents have been asking for a fix for years. The problem is that to fix the street, crews have to fix the entire district, which includes some streets that aren't in bad shape.
Homeowners who don't live on Thornton Street don't want to be forced to pay an assessment to fix Marston and Tessens streets, which have much less damage. It would cost them between $10,000 and $17,000 over 10 years.
"My curb is beautiful and you want to tear it up and charge me $14,000," resident Darwin Roche said.
Officials said 80 percent of the people in the district signed a petition to get new streets, curbs and drainage for the first time in more than 30 years. Supporters said it's the perfect time because the county is finally willing to pay half.
But the initial 80 percent of support has dwindled to 61.5 percent, and if it falls below 50 percent, the project will be scrapped, and neighbors on Thornton Street will have to start over.
"We'll always be a community, I just don't want to love thy neighbor for $17,000," Roche said.
The vote Monday was unanimous to push the plan to the required second public meeting. If the board passes it again, they'll get into the bidding process to nail down the exact cost.