HOUSE BILL No. 6032

 

December 2, 2014, Introduced by Rep. Price and referred to the Committee on Local Government.

 

     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 5, 8, and 19b (MCL 41.275, 41.278, and

 

41.289b), section 19b as amended by 1996 PA 127.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 5. The commissioners shall hear objections to the

 

proposed improvement at the time and place to be fixed by them

 

either at the office of the commissioners or at some suitable place

 

within the township in which the proposed special assessment

 


district is located. : Provided, That the The holding of such the

 

hearing may be enforced by mandamus in case if the commissioners

 

shall fail to hold the hearing within 60 days after the filing of

 

the petition required under section 1. of this act. At this

 

hearing, all parties or persons interested shall be given an

 

opportunity to present their objections, if any, to the proposed

 

improvement. Notice Before January 1, 2015, notice of this hearing

 

shall be given by the commissioners by causing a notice thereof of

 

the hearing to be published at least once in each week for 2 weeks

 

in succession in some newspaper of general circulation in such the

 

district, and by posting 5 notices within the limits of such the

 

district , in public and conspicuous places therein. Such within

 

the limits of the district. Before January 1, 2015, the posting

 

shall be done and at least 1 publication in the newspaper shall be

 

made not less than 10 days prior to such before the hearing. Such

 

Beginning January 1, 2015, the commissioners shall, not less than

 

10 days before the hearing, provide tier A public notice of the

 

hearing as set forth in the local government public notice act. The

 

notice shall set forth a description of the boundaries of the

 

proposed special assessment district or the several parcels of land

 

proposed to be assessed on account of such the improvement and the

 

time and place of hearing. At this hearing, the commissioners shall

 

make any changes in the specifications deemed considered advisable

 

without further notice or hearing, provided such the changes do not

 

increase the estimate more than 10 per cent. 10%. If they the

 

changes do increase the estimate more than 10 per cent, 10%, then a

 

new hearing shall be had held and notice thereof of the hearing

 


given as in the first instance. original hearing. At such the

 

hearing, the commissioners may alter the boundaries of the proposed

 

assessment district. : Provided, however, That However, if said the

 

district is enlarged or otherwise altered so as to embrace

 

additional lands, the hearing thereon after due notice shall be had

 

held as hereinbefore provided in this section.

 

     Sec. 8. On the making of the said final order, the

 

commissioners shall proceed to let the contract for the

 

construction of the proposed improvement to the lowest responsible

 

bidder, said the bidder to furnish adequate security for the

 

performance of the same , in a sum to be fixed by the

 

commissioners. : Provided, That no A contract shall not be let or

 

rolls spread under the provisions of this act when 25 per cent 25%

 

or more of the total tax levied for all purposes upon real property

 

within the assessment district shall have has been delinquent for 1

 

or more years. The Before January 1, 2015, the commissioners shall

 

give notice of the letting of such the contract by publishing a

 

notice thereof of the letting of the contract in some newspaper of

 

general circulation in the county , at least once in each week for

 

2 weeks, and may publish notice thereof of the letting of the

 

contract in other newspapers if they shall deem consider the same

 

advisable. At Before January 1, 2015, at least 1 publication of the

 

notice shall be made not less than 10 days prior to before the date

 

of the letting. They Beginning January 1, 2015, the commissioners

 

shall, not less than 10 days before the date of the letting of the

 

contract, provide tier B public notice of the letting of the

 

contract as set forth in the local government public notice act.

 


The commissioners may reserve the right to reject any and all bids.

 

If rejected, the same procedure for obtaining bids shall be

 

repeated, or if deemed considered advisable by the commissioners,

 

they shall proceed with the construction of said the proposed

 

improvement in the same manner and with the same authority, when

 

applicable, as they have to build roads under the provisions of the

 

county road law. chapter IV of 1909 PA 283, MCL 224.1 to 224.32.

 

After the bids have been received or as soon thereafter as

 

practicable, the commissioners shall enter into the necessary

 

contract for the construction of the proposed improvement with the

 

party whose bid shall be is accepted by them and who shall have has

 

furnished the bonds required. The commissioners shall take such

 

action as may be is necessary to commence construction of the

 

proposed improvements, or cause such the construction to be

 

commenced, within 6 months, or if weather does not then permit, as

 

soon thereafter as the weather does permit after making said the

 

final order.

 

     Sec. 19b. (1) The township board or boards mentioned in

 

section 19, either on its or their own motion, or upon the filing

 

of a petition signed by the record owners of not less than 10% of

 

the number of parcels of land in the district to be lighted

 

described in the petitions, may order the expenses for lighting the

 

highways to be defrayed by a special assessment on all the taxable

 

lands in the territory described in the petitions or the order of

 

the township board. A petition under this section is not valid if a

 

majority of the territory described in the petition was included in

 

a petition filed under this section not more than 1 year earlier.

 


     (2) A part of the expenses may be paid by the township or

 

townships at large and the balance assessed against the lands in

 

the described district.

 

     (3) The township board or boards shall then estimate the cost

 

and expense of the lighting system and fix a day, time, and place

 

for a hearing on the question of creating a district and defraying

 

the expenses of the district by special assessment. A Before

 

January 1, 2015, a notice stating the time, place, and purpose of

 

the hearing shall be published in a newspaper of general

 

circulation in the district. If Before January 1, 2015, if there is

 

not a newspaper of general circulation in the district, then

 

notices shall be posted in at least 3 of the most public places in

 

the district. Notice Before January 1, 2015, notice shall be

 

published or posted at least 5 days before the date of the hearing.

 

Beginning January 1, 2015, tier A public notice stating the time,

 

place, and purpose of the hearing shall be provided at least 5 days

 

before the hearing as set forth in the local government public

 

notice act.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act does not take effect

 

unless Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5560 (request no.

 

03796'13) of the 97th Legislature is enacted into law.