All Residents To Share Twp. Hydrant Costs
Water Rates Are Set at Moran Township
By Paul Gingras

Following a heated debate at the Moran Township meeting Wednesday, April 4, the board of trustees voted to pay its annual $10,000 fire hydrant bill with general fund revenue, rather than to charge residents who live near the hydrants half of the cost through monthly fees.

The decision put to rest some complaints voiced by area residents and business owners who own buildings near the hydrants. Several were angered by a board decision, made Wednesday, March 28 at a public hearing, when the township decided to bill them for half of the hydrant bill. The fee for residents and businesses within range of the hydrants would have been $3.50 a month. The justification for the billing, said Township Supervisor Jim Durm, is that the properties are better protected from fires, owing to the proximity of the hydrants.

The hydrants are part of a 2003 water line expansion project. At that time, several residents and business owners opposed the expansion and did not connect to the water line. Now, some say they do not feel they should pay special hydrant fees. Paul Krause, owner of Mackinac Ford Sales on US-2, voiced his strong opposition to the proposed billing and demanded that the township shut down the hydrant near his business.

As part of its fire protection agreement with the township, the City of St. Ignace charges $200 a year for each of Moran Township's 50 hydrants.

Now that the board has reversed its decision to bill nearby residents and will pay the entire bill through the general fund, all of Moran Township residents will help pay for the hydrants through the general property tax, although many do not live within close range of them.

The new, more powerful water lines that extend water service further west along US-2, and the hydrants that go with them, reduce the time it takes for firefighters to refill trucks. Therefore, the hydrants are a benefit to the township in general, Mr. Durm said, adding that he understands the concerns of township residents who do not receive as much of a benefit from the hydrants as others. Finding a way to pay for the hydrant fees is a problem without a simple solution, he said. The presence of the fire hydrants led New Jersey-based Insurance Service Offices (ISO) to reclassify a portion of Moran Township along US-2, from I-75 to Moran River, from Class 8 fire protection status to Class 6, which means the area is better protected from fires. The township has reported several times throughout the year that this reclassification may make owners of buildings in close range of the hydrants eligible for reduced insurance premiums.

Township resident Lee Ortman and Mr. Krause told the board that they have received no reduction in their insurance rates as a result of the reclassification.

Some companies have reduced rates for their customers based on the new fire protection status, and others have not, owing to differences in how they determine their rates.

Greg Cheeseman, Jr. of Cheeseman Insurance told The St. Ignace News that residents and businesses insured by his company are eligible for a 10 to 15 percent reduction in their insurance premiums if they have buildings that lie within 1,500 feet of a hydrant. Mr. Cheeseman encourages his customers to call the company to get the reduction. Most eligible home and business owners have already called, and the company has reduced their insurance rates, he added.

When a customer calls Cheeseman, the company immediately notes the change in the insurance rate and sends the customer a notice in the mail. If a customer's insurance premium is paid in full, the company sends a refund. If the customer owes money, a credit is applied to the next bill, Mr. Cheeseman said.

State Farm Insurance rates vary by zip code. They are heavily influenced by local weather conditions, and the company does not base them on fire protection classification, said Mark Elmblad, a State Farm agent. This means that someone in Moran Township with a home or business in an area considered at high risk for fire damage, by ISO standards, could pay the same as someone with property near a hydrant, if the two customers have similar buildings and lie within the same zip code.

State Farm insures Moran Township customers, in part, by taking into account factors such as harsh winter weather, Mr. Elmblad explained. In Moran Township, the company places emphasis on potential damage from ice, wind, and hail.

At the March 28 public hearing, the township board also voted to charge residents and businesses connected to the Moran Township water system 50¢ per thousand gallons of water used. This will raise the average residential water user's bill approximately $1.50 per month, board members said.

Residents connected to the system will generate approximately $8,500 a year for the water line maintenance fund, which the township will need in the event of a major water line failure. Although the fee is small for residents, it will be much higher for businesses along US-2 that use large amounts of water, Mr. Durm said.

In other business, the board offered to send a letter to the Mackinac County Board of Commissioners in support of township treasurer Susan Dionne, who is also the chief deputy treasurer for Mackinac County. Ms. Dionne is caught in a controversy regarding whether township treasurers can also hold positions as county treasurers.

Ms. Dionne told the board that when she ran for election as township treasurer, she made sure it was legal for her to hold both positions. She also said that the county treasurer's office has procedures in place that make sure another treasurer handles receipts from Moran Township. She ran for township treasurer to bring useful knowledge from the county to the township level, she said, but has found that she also has been able to bring useful information about townships to the county level.

The Moran Township board has signed road agreements totaling $266,000 for the 2007/2008 fiscal year.

Trustee Mark Spencer, who regularly attends Mackinac County Road Commission meetings and sits on the Moran Township Road Committee, said that the biggest project in Moran Township will be the $175,000 Pointe Aux Chenes subdivision project, which involves five roads. New asphalt surfaces will be applied to Pointe Aux Chenes Road as well as Beech, Spruce, Oak, and Maple streets. A turn-around will be created at the end of Spruce for snow removal, Mr. Spencer added.

In the Ozark area, the township will spend $55,000 to improve the gravel surface of the southern portion of 28 Mile Road. Its ditches and culverts will be improved.

The township will provide $3,000 toward the cost of flashing school zone signs on Portage Street and Old Portage Trail. The City of St. Ignace and the St. Ignace Area schools will also each contribute $3,000 toward the project.

A $23,000 project on Pointe LaBarbe Road will begin this year. The project will include improved culverts and soil borings. The road will be paved next year. The township has requested that the Road Commission bore 10 feet into the ground, twice as far as necessary for the road work, to provide data regarding the underlying material, in case the township decides to run water lines through the area in the future, Mr. Spencer explained.

The board plans to use $30,000 in funds usually reserved to purchase gravel to fix three township roads. Of this amount, $10,000 is provided by the township. The municipality has plenty of gravel this year, Mr. Spencer said, so it will use the funds to provide a double chip seal surface on Sixth Street and will also build a turn-around at the end of the street. The township will improve the gravel surface of Gudmunsun Road, and work will begin on Koski Road in Ozark. The township will begin to re-gravel the surface, beginning at M-123. Work on Koski Road will continue next year, Mr. Spencer added.