Information Picture by Steve Schulwitz
An worker of State Road Auto Wash in Alpena sprays filth off a automobile whereas at work on Monday. Tonight, the Alpena Municipal Council and the Alpena Township Board of Trustees will meet in closed session collectively to debate the continued water fee litigation that has been ongoing since 2014.
ALPENA — The Alpena Municipal Council and the Alpena Township Board of Trustees will meet in closed session collectively at present to debate the continued water fee litigation that has been ongoing since 2014.
Township Supervisor Nathan Skibbe and Alpena Mayor Matt Waligora had no touch upon why the 2 boards will meet or what might be mentioned or thought-about.
Skibbe stated it’s probably a joint press launch could possibly be issued sooner or later after the assembly.
In 2014, town sued the township after the township refused to pay a fee enhance. Township officers believed the township must be thought-about a wholesale buyer, entitled to decrease charges due to the quantity of water it purchases from town for township residents.
Over the previous couple of years, the 2 municipalities have labored along with the aim of creating a water authority and reached an settlement on a water and sewer authority draft settlement early in 2022.
They’re now awaiting the outcomes of a fee examine from a advisor. The findings from the examine are anticipated quickly.
The thought of a water authority isn’t a brand new one. The town put the choice on the desk in 2014, however the township shot the proposal down.
Most of members on the township board of trustees and division heads on the time have been changed since then and a partnership through the authority has been a precedence since.
In 2017, the Alpena County Circuit Court docket ordered the 2 sides into mediation. That lasted solely in the future, nevertheless, as metropolis officers didn’t see sufficient progress being made to proceed.
A settlement appeared imminent early in 2018, nevertheless, when each governing boards voted to approve “principal phrases” for an settlement. That vote wasn’t on a deal on charges, however on in search of a course of for establishing charges that might finish the dispute.
After persevering with negotiations did not yield a deal, the native court docket basically ordered the 2 sides to stick to the “principal phrases” they’d reached earlier within the yr.
Shortly afterward, nevertheless, the township appealed a portion of that ruling to the Michigan Court docket of Appeals, and town filed a cross attraction. The appellate court docket additionally ordered mediation, which additionally yielded no settlement.
The appeals court docket dominated that the proposed settlement being thought-about earlier was non-binding, which the township appealed to the state Supreme Court docket, which declined to listen to the case, and despatched it again to circuit court docket in Alpena.
To date, greater than $2 million has been spent on legal professional and advisor charges in the course of the litigation.
The closed session is a part of the council’s common assembly, whereas the township known as a particular assembly to have the ability to meet with town.
Waligora stated he didn’t anticipate any motion to be taken after each boards return to open session.
The council assembly is slated to begin at 6 p.m. with the closed session starting about 7 p.m.
