By Joseph Goral
Staff Writer
jgoral@mihomepaper.com
LAKE ORION — The Lake Orion Village Council referred the village’s proposed 2025-2031 capital improvement plan to the planning commission for review on June 28, and scheduled the plan for consideration at the next council meeting at 7:30 p.m. July 14.
A draft of the plan identifies $26,114,272 in capital needs for the village over the next six years to be funded from a variety of sources. The planning commission will discuss the plan during its meeting on July 7 before seconding recommendations back to the council.
“I do want to note that the plan is just that – it is a plan,” Village Manager Darwin McClary said. “The priorities for each project, they increase, they decrease with each successive year.”
McClary added that some projects may be dropped off of the plan for various reasons, including a funding source not being available, priorities changing or other reasons.
“But it is our best estimate of the needs of the village over the next six years and the proposed funding sources,” McClary said.
The draft of the capital improvement program and a summary in the meeting’s agenda packet break down the more than $26 million in needs by department or activity, and by funding source. Each department or activity section has a corresponding page detailing each item contributing to that department or activity’s total.
For example, the “manager” department lists $3,000 to be spent during the 2027-28 fiscal year. A later page describes this department as “village manager capital improvement program,” and says the $3,000 will be spent on a laptop computer with docking. The funding source for this item is the village’s general fund.
There are 16 other department or activities listed with costs over the course of the plan – clerk, $2,000; finance/treasury, $8,000; general activities, $10,000; building/planning/zoning, $47,000; police, $529,100; public works, $437,000; parks and recreation, $140,000; DDA public infrastructure, $1 million; facilities, $161,500; major streets, $781,000; local streets, $3.15 million; sidewalks, $244,000; water, $8,213,750; sanitary sewer, $11,342,922; storm sewer, $30,000; and cemetery, $15,000.
Making up the DDA public infrastructure is $400,000 for Paint Creek bank stabilization during the 2026-27 fiscal year and $600,000 for sidewalk connections. Sidewalk connections will be funded by an annual payment of $150,000 during each of the plan’s final four years. The projects are planned to be funded by the DDA public infrastructure fund.
Making up the local streets’ $3.15 million is PAMP Treatment Program “A” for $547,000 in 2025-26; PAMP treatment program “B” for $435,000 in 2026-27; PAMP treatment program “C” for $518,000 in 2027-28; and undetermined future projects for $550,000 in 2028-29, 2029-30 and 2030-31. These projects are planned to be funded by the local streets fund and by special assessments.
Council Member Michael Lamb said a problem with the plan is that “the village council passed a policy statement a couple years ago that said all of these projects will be funded through special assessments or bond sales.”
“My only comment is (it is) a wonderful plan, and staff has done an awesome job putting it together and we’ve had to sit through dozens of meetings,” Lamb said, adding “but the funding, like our sewer improvements are going to be on you (village residents.)”
Lamb then recommended village residents in the audience get together to decide how they want their taxes spent to pay for road improvements and other projects.
Several items make up the water system’s total of $8,213,750. They include $7.5 million in 2027-28 for the water main replacement phases three and four; $350,000 in 2028-29 for water main replacements; $100,000 in the same year for the water meter radio read tower; $20,000 in the first year to cut and cap an old wellhead in the DPW’s cold barn; and $243,750 for lead service line replacements. The lead service line replacements will be funded by three payments of $81,250 over the plan’s first three years. These projects will be funded by the water and sewer fund, bonds and grants.
Sixteen items make up the sanitary sewer system’s $11,342,922 total. The 2025-26 fiscal year will see phase two of pump stations upgrades for $5,428,619 while the next year will see phase three for $5,407,303. Phase three includes sewer point repairs, pressure tests, sewer open cuts and more. Similar projects will also take place in the 2028-29 fiscal year.
Members of the public may give comments during the planning commission’s meeting at 6:30 p.m. on July 7.