Moran Twp. Seeks To Resolve Utilities Repayment Demand
By Paul Gingras

The Moran Township Board of Trustees voted to hire Tom Evashevski of St. Ignace as its attorney, and the board plans to immediately set him to the task of resolving a repayment demand by Wisconsinbased American Transmission Company, which alleges that the township overtaxed the company on its power lines and substations between 2002 and 2006. The decision to hire Mr. Evashevski was made at the township meeting Wednesday, May 2.

The amount of money sought by the company has been estimated by Supervisor Jim Durm at $50,000 to $60,000. Mr. Durm will work with township Treasurer Susan Dionne to find out how much the company wants, and the amount of the township's counter offer submitted last year through its former lawyer, Harry Golsky.

Owing to slow correspondence between the township and Mr. Golsky, the matter has not been resolved, which was part of the board's decision to hire a new lawyer.

The value of power lines and substations depreciates each year, and their taxes are reduced accordingly, Mr. Durm explained. The township followed a tax table provided by the Michigan State Tax Commission that explained how much to charge the company.

In 1994, Great Lakes Gas Transmission Company appealed the value of its infrastructure to the Michigan Tax Tribunal. It won the appeal and its taxes were reduced in 1997. Companies like American Transmission noted Great Lake's success and appealed to the Tax Tribunal, also. Since then, a host of energy companies has followed suit, leading to demands by energy companies for repayments from area townships. All other cases involving Moran Township have been settled, Mr. Durm said.

Moran Township School Superintendent Bill Peltier, who attended the meeting, expressed concern about the repayment. Seventy percent of taxes collected from the company supported the school district, Mr. Durm said, meaning Gros Cap School will shoulder the bulk of the repayment. Mr. Durm assured Mr. Peltier that the board would resolve the matter as soon as possible. Other entities that received tax money include Mackinac Straits Hospital and Health Center and Mackinac County.

In other business, Mr. Durm read a letter stating the township board's disapproval of discussion by state legislators in recent months to redirect the responsibilities of township governments to county governments. Legislators have pondered the idea in recent months to save the state money, he said. The letter will be sent on behalf of Moran Township to State Representative Gary McDowell and State Senator Jason Allen, he said.

Pending provision of a $20,000 bond, the board approved construction of a 300-foot-tall tower, to be built by Indiana-based Emergency Radio Services (ERS) Telecom Properties at 4314 West Worth Road. It will provide space for antennas owned by Oklahomabased Dobson Cellular Systems and equipment owned by up to three additional companies.

The company says the tower will increase the capacity for transmitting wireless signals for cellular phones, pagers, and Internet providers and support emergency services communications.

Mr. Durm explained that the township requires a $20,000 bond to take the tower down when it wears out or becomes obsolete.

The township tabled an agreement with the Mackinac County Road Commission to re-pave Pte. LeBarbe Road. The board will not make a decision until it receives a recommendation from township's road committee, said Township Clerk Kris Vallier. If approved, the $688,000 project will be paid with a combination of federal, state, county, and township funds. The township's portion would be $475,750.

The board voted to pay the Road Commission 50 percent of a $175,000 project to re-surface the Pte. Aux Chenes subdivision.

The Moran Township board has taken no position on a proposal to expand the Mackinac County Road Commission from three to five members. Mr. Durm said the township has a good working relationship with the commission in its current configuration. The proposal is the subject of a public hearing scheduled by the Mackinac County Board of Commissioners June 7, at 3:30 p.m.

The board agreed to seek bids to construct a 24-foot by 24-foot storage building behind the township hall. It would contain a small, temperature controlled room for archiving property records and historic documents. The township hall's offices are overloaded with election equipment and filing cabinets that do not need to be accessed frequently, said Mrs. Vallier.