The Bingham Township Board meeting on Monday was unusually well attended as about 10 township residents were in the audience. Most of them took the opportunity to participate in the board’s ongoing discussion in a blight ordinance that would allow the township to address garbage and junk on township properties without waiting for complaints from its neighbors.
As the meeting went on, it became increasingly clear that the meeting attendees – and some of the township officials – had a specific property in mind: a home south of Shady Lane Road near the intersection of M-22. Although the terrain doesn’t offer a very clear view of the property from either road, passing drivers may notice that the lot appears to contain dozens of vehicles, campers, trailers, and assorted items out in its yard.
“We have been trying to improve the situation as best we can without going through a blight ordinance —that’s what we’ve done so far,” Township Supervisor Midge Werner said when one resident asked about this property.
“The health department has talked to him about different things we’ve alerted them to. I know people are concerned about the status of the roof at his house, because he has some plastic on it, and he has been provided information about a program that will assist people with issues if they have problems with their house that they cannot take care of themselves,” Werner continued.
Werner clarified that the health department visited the property recently to investigate allegations of health hazards and found no evidence of violations. She also said that contrary to some of the neighbors’ assumptions, the property owner does not appear to be operating an unpermitted business out of this property.
As with the previous monthly meeting, the township board seems to be approaching the decision to adopt an ordinance that allows them to abate blight or other nuisances with caution. While some officials seem sympathetic to the township residents’ complaints, they understand that once they adopt such an ordinance, they’re bound to enforce it on any property in the township that meets their definition of blight, which has implications beyond this one case.
“We are hoping to find another avenue – that is why we’ve been working with the health department and some of the other agencies that we’ve been talking to – to try to soft pedal on this,” Werner explained.
The draft ordinance says that people violating the ordinance will be responsible for a municipal civil infraction under Michigan Common Law and be subject to a fine up to $500 each day the nuisance goes unabated. If the township’s designated enforcement officer must remove it themselves, they can open a lawsuit to recover the costs, including attorney fees.
Ultimately, however, the board did not vote on the ordinance Monday evening, moving onto the next agenda item after about an hour of discussion. Werner agreed to take notes on the discussion to the township attorney “to try to find the best way to handle this, with the situation that is there.”
Also at Monday’s monthly meeting, the board:
• Approved a professional planning assistance contract with Stephen Hannon, a certifi ed planner, to draft a five-year parks and recreation plan for the township, with a proposed budget of $3,312.
• OK’d a contract with Graham Builders LLC to install concrete pads for porta-potties at Bingham Township Parks for $2,000.
