SENATE BILL No. 687

 

 

January 13, 2016, Introduced by Senators ROCCA and BRANDENBURG and referred to the Committee on Local Government.

 

 

 

     A bill to amend 1956 PA 40, entitled

 

"The drain code of 1956,"

 

by amending sections 514, 517, and 521 (MCL 280.514, 280.517, and

 

280.521), section 514 as amended by 2006 PA 16.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 514. (1) A drainage board is created for each project

 

petitioned for under this chapter. section 513. Except as otherwise

 

provided in subsection (3), (4), the drainage board shall consist

 

consists of the director of the department of agriculture and rural

 

development and the drain commissioner of each county involved in

 

the project.

 

     (2) The director of the department of agriculture shall be and

 

rural development is the chairperson of the drainage board. The

 

drainage board shall select 1 of its members as secretary.

 


     (3) A member of the drainage board shall serve as secretary.

 

The secretary is responsible for performing all administrative

 

duties of the drainage board. Subject to section 521, the secretary

 

shall be selected by the drainage board.

 

     (4) (3) If Except as provided in subsection (5), if a project

 

involves a county with an appointed rather than an elected drain

 

commissioner and a population of more than 1,000,000, the drainage

 

board shall consist of the director of the department of

 

agriculture and rural development, the drain commissioner of each

 

county involved in the project, and an individual appointed by each

 

drain commissioner of each county involved in the project,

 

including a county with an elected drain commissioner. The

 

appointee shall be an elected official, or his or her designee, of

 

a city, village, or township subject to assessment for the project.

 

The appointee shall serve for a 2-year term and shall not be

 

appointed for successive terms unless the city, village, or

 

township municipality that he or she represents is the only

 

municipality in the county subject to assessment. Following the

 

completion of the 2-year term, the drain commissioner shall, if

 

possible, appoint an elected official, or his or her designee, from

 

a different city, village, or township municipality subject to

 

assessment for the project. If an appointee fails or refuses to

 

serve or is disqualified, the drain commissioner shall appoint a

 

successor to complete the remainder of his or her term.

 

     (5) (4) Subsection (3) (4) does not apply to a project that

 

involves a county with a population of more than 1,000,000 which

 

was that is organized pursuant to 1973 PA 139, MCL 45.551 to

 


45.573.

 

     Sec. 517. (1) Upon receipt of a petition as hereinbefore

 

provided, under section 513, the director of agriculture and rural

 

development shall make a preliminary finding of the counties which,

 

in his or her opinion, include public corporations that should be

 

assessed under the provisions of this chapter for the cost of the

 

proposed drain.

 

     (2) Upon the making of such the preliminary finding under

 

subsection (1), the director of agriculture and rural development

 

shall, give by registered mail, send a copy of the preliminary

 

finding and notice of the time and place of the first meeting of

 

the drainage board and of the first meeting of the augmented

 

drainage board , by sending a copy of such notice and of such

 

preliminary finding by registered mail to each member thereof , and

 

to each highway agency having jurisdiction over any highway, road,

 

and or street in said the district. , which The notice and finding

 

shall be mailed not less than 10 days prior to the time of the

 

meeting. In the event there be no If a county does not have a board

 

of county auditors or finance committee, in any county involved,

 

then notice to the chairman chairperson of the county board of

 

supervisors of such commissioners of the county shall be deemed

 

considered to be notice to the member of the county board of

 

supervisors commissioners to be selected by him.the chairperson as

 

a member of the augmented drainage board under section 515.

 

     (3) The drainage board shall first meet first, for the purpose

 

of selecting a secretary. Upon the selection of a secretary, the

 

director of agriculture and rural development shall turn over to

 


such that secretary the original petition and any other records in

 

his or her office pertaining to the proposed drain. The secretary

 

shall serve until the drainage board approves a final order of

 

apportionment under section 521.

 

     Sec. 521. (1) After making the tentative apportionments of

 

cost have been made, under section 520, the drainage board shall

 

set a time, date, and place it will meet and hear objections to the

 

apportionments. Notice In each county involved, notice of the

 

hearing shall be published twice in each county involved by

 

inserting the notice in at least 1 newspaper published in the

 

county , and designated by the drainage board. The first

 

publication is to must be not less than 20 days before the time of

 

hearing. The notice shall also be sent by registered mail to the

 

clerk or secretary of each public corporation proposed to be

 

assessed, except that a notice to the this state shall be sent to

 

the state highway director of the state transportation department

 

and a notice to a county shall be sent both to the county clerk and

 

the county road commission. The mailing shall be made not less than

 

20 days before the time of hearing. The notice shall be signed by

 

the secretary and proof of the publication and mailing of the

 

notice shall be filed with the secretary. The drainage board may

 

provide a form to be substantially followed in the giving of the

 

notice. The notice shall include tentative apportionments to the

 

several public corporations.

 

     (2) After the hearing, the drainage board may confirm the

 

apportionments as tentatively made, or, if it considers the

 

apportionments to be inequitable, it shall readjust the

 


apportionments. Before readjusted apportionments are confirmed, the

 

drainage board shall set a time, date, and place for a rehearing

 

and shall give notice of the hearing in the manner provided in

 

subsection (1). The notice shall also set forth the apportionments

 

as readjusted. It shall then

 

     (3) After the hearing or rehearing, the board shall issue its

 

order setting forth the several apportionments as confirmed. The

 

order shall be known as the final order of apportionment.

 

     (4) Upon issuance of the final order of apportionment and each

 

year thereafter, the drain commissioner for the county with the

 

highest aggregate apportionments may opt to become the secretary of

 

the drainage board. If that drain commissioner declines to serve as

 

secretary, the drainage board shall elect another of its members to

 

that position.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.