SENATE BILL No. 1485

 

 

November 9, 2006, Introduced by Senators JOHNSON and KUIPERS and referred to the Committee on Transportation.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1931 PA 246, entitled

 

"An act to provide for the construction, repair, and maintenance of

pavements, sidewalks, and elevated structures on or along public

roads and highways; to provide for the levying of taxes and of

special assessments; to authorize the borrowing of money and the

issuance of bonds; to prescribe the powers and duties of certain

state and local agencies and officers; to validate actions taken,

special assessments levied, and bonds issued; and to provide for

the lighting of certain roads, highways, and bridges,"

 

by amending sections 1 and 1a (MCL 41.271 and 41.271a).

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1. Whenever the owners of more than  51%  75% of the

 

lineal frontage of lands outside of the corporate limits of any

 

city or village fronting or touching upon any public highway or

 

portion  thereof  of the public highway, desire a pavement or

 

sidewalks built  thereon  on the public highway, they may file an


 

application for  such  the improvement with the county road

 

commissioners of the county in which  such  the pavement or

 

sidewalk is proposed to be built. No application for the paving of

 

any highway, or portion  thereof  of the highway, shall be

 

considered unless at least 75% of the lands fronting  thereon  the

 

highway have been subdivided into parcels having a frontage of not

 

more than 300 feet each on  such  the highway or there shall be an

 

average of at least 1 building, including buildings under

 

construction, located along the portion of  such  the highway

 

proposed to be paved for every 300 lineal feet  thereof  of the

 

public highway, according to a survey thereof to be made by the

 

commissioners. The eligibility of signers to any application  

 

hereby authorized  may be determined by their interest of record in

 

the office of the register of deeds or in the probate court of the

 

county in which  such  the lands are situated at the time the

 

petition is presented or by other satisfactory proof of interest

 

presented to the commissioners.  Such  The petition shall be

 

accompanied by a description of the land fronting or touching on

 

the highway owned by each signer and by a certificate of the county

 

treasurer, showing the taxes or special assessments, if any,

 

against such lands which appear delinquent on his or her books.  ;

 

no  No name of any signer on the petition shall be considered valid

 

whose land fronting or touching on the highways shows delinquent

 

assessments or taxes on such certificate. Any petition  so  

 

received by the commissioners or presented to them under the

 

provisions of this act  ,  shall be deemed to confer full authority

 

to cause  such  work to be done in order that the proper proportion


 

of the expense  thereof  may be met accordingly. The commissioners

 

shall have all the power of laying out and establishing all  such  

 

pavements or sidewalks.  The words  

 

     (2) As used in this act, "highway" or "public highway"  as

 

used in this act mean  means any road, street, or alley taken over

 

by and under the jurisdiction of the board of county road

 

commissioners.

 

     Sec. 1a. (1) Any township board, by resolution, may make

 

application to the board of county road commissioners for the

 

improvement of a county road or portion thereof located within the

 

township. The resolution when received and accepted by the county

 

road commissioners shall confer the same authority to cause an

 

improvement to be made and benefits assessed as if a petition were

 

filed in accordance with the provisions of section 1. The petition

 

shall not be considered unless it complies with the subdivision and

 

building requirements set forth in section 1 relating to

 

applications by property owners. Additionally, unless the owners of

 

more than 75% of the lineal frontage of lands concur in writing

 

with the township board, the petition shall not be considered.

 

     (2) A declaration of necessity shall be made by resolution of

 

the board of county road commissioners who shall thereafter hold a

 

public hearing at the township hall upon the declaration of

 

necessity in the same manner as if an application had been filed by

 

property owners as set forth in section 1. After the date of the

 

public hearing on the declaration of necessity, the property owners

 

of 51% or more of the lineal frontage along the proposed

 

improvement may submit  within  no later than 45 days after the


 

public hearing a petition to the board of county road commissioners

 

requesting that the project be discontinued. The project shall be

 

discontinued if, upon examination, the owners of 51% or more of the

 

lineal frontage along the improvement have signed the petition. If

 

no petition is filed  within  no later than 45 days after the

 

public hearing, the project shall proceed in the same manner as if

 

inaugurated by property owners.