Hi Hill residents Joe Geraci and Sue Turpen are hoping Orion Township will be able to make good on an offer to use Eagle Valley host fee funds to help pay for the water and sewer project in their subdivision.
Turpen requested an agenda item at the Aug. 18 board meeting to have the board review and explain the findings in a report from the Eagle Valley Closure Committee. Geraci said subdivision residents were worried they were not going to get what they thought the board had promised them.
“On June 2, 2003, I asked to be on the closure committee,” said Geraci, a Morgan Hill resident and vice president of the Hi Hill Homeowner’s Association. “My request was met with a great deal of resistance at that time, which made me more confused about the board’s intentions.”
According to Geraci, a report from the committee submitted to the board at the Aug. 4 meeting failed to mention repayment for the Hi Hill sewer project by the township using host fee funds from Eagle Valley.
“Is (repayment of the SAD) being taken off the table by the board?” he asked. “In the report, I also wanted to understand an issue brought up pertaining to the closure…where some (host fee funds) are reserved for costs regarding (the landfill) closing issues.”
Geraci said that Waste Management, who operates Eagle Valley, has “full and complete responsibility” for the Eagle Valley site, for up to 30 years after its closure.
“Eagle Valley has funds in the care fund for closure and abandonment,” he added. “Waste Management can draw from this fund for closure.”
Geraci said if the site is sold, the new owners have liability for the site. “Ultimately, the State of Michigan, not Orion, will have responsibility…for closure of the site.”
Geraci said the report made it sound as if the board would be using host fee funds to help pay for the closure of Eagle Valley.
“Is there still some type of a board reaction I can get tonight?” he asked. “Is the committee for (repayment of the Hi Hill project) or are you completely reneging on the (offer)?”
“We’re not reneging on anything,” clerk Jill Bastian said. “In a perfect world, Waste Management would pay for everything…but things don’t work that way. There are costs, and they will be coming out of the host fee fund.”
Bastian said the board was concerned about both the township’s debt and the concerns of Hi Hill residents.
“If you want an answer today…We aren’t out of debt yet. So we can’t tell you (what will happen) to those extra dollars,” she said.
According to Bastian, the board was not sure how much money they would end up getting from Eagle Valley.
“It’s too iffy,” she said.
Trustee Michael Gingell, a member of the closure committee, said he was aware a lot of discussions had occurred on the board about Hi Hill and the host fee funds.
“We went back to the motion and what does the motion say,” he said. “Not to renege…but did the township definitively say they were going to (repay Hi Hill with host fee funds).”
Gingell added that if no dollars were available from Eagle Valley, then there really was no issue to discuss.
“Despite the definitive nature of the motion, it’s irrelevant (if there’s no money),” he added.
Trustee Michael Fetzer, also a member of the committee, stressed that the issue was not finalized yet.
“This is a work in progress,” he said.
Geraci said the board’s resolution about using host fee funds from Eagle Valley to help pay for Hi Hill’s project didn’t have anything in it about paying back the gift the township made to itself from water and sewer.
“The resolution only states that the host fee funds from the settlement with Eagle Valley…should be reserved to pay as much of the costs as possible for (Hi Hill),” he said. “It doesn’t mention any bill to be paid first. All the other debt that occurred at that time had been paid for.”
Geraci was concerned about where the board’s “what if” statement.
“Other bills that have come into play are now being paid (before Hi Hill)?” he asked.
Gingell said the committee set out to answer two questions: Does the township have a definitive obligation and are there dollars available today?
“From Mr. Geraci’s standpoint, he’s probably suggesting we pay the sewer before we pay anything else,” he said.
Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk believes it would be a good idea to have the committee alert Turpen and Geraci of their next meeting so they could attend. Gingell and Fetzer said that they would.
“I think it would be helpful if the citizen’s had a representative,” he said.
“Who told somebody there would be a check in the mail this soon?” asked Bastian.
“I would just like to see us further discuss it and know it’s not a closed book,” Turpen said.
Trustee Richard Tomczak wanted Hi Hill residents to know that the closure project was ongoing.
“I don’t think we have any intention at this time of pulling the plug on the financial aspect (for Hi Hill),” he said.