SATURDAY, May 23 — When it comes to Ingham County drainage projects, Pat Lindemann is king.
As outlined in state law, Drain Commissioner Pat Lindemann carries nearly unilateral authority to decide how drains are built and how much the projects will cost. He just sends outs the bills. And despite opposition to his latest multi-million drain project, Lindemann isn’t backing down.
“This project will be done. We’re not going to stop it,” Lindemann said. “We already have crews out there. We’re ordering materials and pipes. You can’t just stop everything and say you’re saving money. I can try to get better prices and save money upfront, but it can’t be stopped.”
Plans quietly approved by the Lansing City Council on Monday call for property owners in Lansing to shoulder about two-thirds of the cost of the reconstruction of the Montgomery Drain. Lansing’s portion — which will be assessed directly to taxpayers — could cost up to $41 million, including interest, over the next 30 years. Residents won’t have any say in the matter, but the costs are slated to begin appearing on property taxes and a new assessment as early as winter.
The Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce and at least two Ingham County commissioners would prefer Lindemann tap the brakes on the project during an ongoing global health crisis. More assessments to residents and businesses could be financially devastating, they’ve said.
But after considering the newfound opposition, Lindemann has decided to ignore their advice.
“We have thousands of people that’ll be working on this project — at least 2,000 people,” Lindemann said. “Wrapping up this project now means that crews will be out there until at least February next year and we’ll still get billed for the unfinished construction. It’s just impossible.”
The Montgomery Drain Project has been in the works since Lindemann first noticed the crumbling drainage infrastructure back in the ‘90s. The stormwater retrofit, which Lansing petitioned to have done in 2014, is designed to reduce up to 75,000 lbs. of pollution from the Red Cedar River annually by constructing a series of natural features within the drain system.
Nearly three miles of service paths will also serve as hiking and biking paths for the public.
Chamber officials for weeks have asked Lindemann — who has sole control over the cost and who must pay it — to temporarily halt or reduce the scope of his plans. A pandemic is hardly the best time to tack on costs to struggling homeowners and entrepreneurs, officials contended.
“While we believe investing in our infrastructure is vital, the assessments for these drains will only further impact the financial challenges to small businesses and residents that will be required to pay for these projects,” Chamber officials told the county’s Board of Commissioners.
While commissioners are powerless to suspend the drain project, they can still send a message of opposition to Lindemann by refusing to pledge full faith and credit to the bonding proposal — dodging liability for the costs should bills be left unpaid and ratcheting up project interest rates.
And that’s exactly what the Chamber of Commerce is asking commissioners to do next week.
“The county should not be making any major financial commitments smack dab in the middle of the worst financial crisis in modern history,” said Commissioner Thomas Morgan. “I’d ask the drain commissioner to press the pause button and look for ways to scale back his grand vision.”
Morgan, the chairman of the board of commissioners’ finance committee, said he will vote against a county proposal to financially endorse the project. Lindemann “is holding a gun to the head of taxpayers” during a pandemic, Morgan said, and he doesn’t enjoy “being held hostage.”
Board chairman Bryan Crenshaw also plans to vote against a measure to pledge the county’s full faith and credit behind Lindemann’s bonding. But both of them recognize they’re unlikely to gain support from their colleagues. Their vote of opposition would only be symbolic, at best.
Any resistance from the county board, as Lindemann rightly contends, would only increase interest rates as he charges forward with the project regardless. Lenders would look more positively on a project that has essentially been co-signed by the Board of Commissioners.
“If they don’t give us full faith and credit and I still need to borrow without it, we’d lose millions in savings,” Lindemann said. “The assurance of the county just lowers our interest rate. If these commissioners want to raise taxes on their citizens, a move like this is exactly the way to do it.”
A resolution pledging full faith and credit for the project was abruptly pulled from the Finance Committee’s agenda this week. Morgan said it’ll be up for a vote at its next meeting, in June.
“State law gives almost dictatorial powers to that office to load up taxpayers with assessments,” Morgan said. “Until that changes, nothing will. Lindemann will continue to have carte blanche to build elaborate monuments to his own genius, using as much of taxpayers’ dollars as he wants.”
To fund the project, Lansing — as approved by the City Council — is expected to levy an additional 0.26 mills on property taxes for every city property beginning this winter. That equates to an estimated annual increase of about $13 for a home with a taxable value of $50,000.
Owners of the 180 residential and commercial properties in the immediate area of the project would also pay much more: $377 annually for residences and $11,831 for commercial, in addition to the city tax. Those bills, pending City Council approval, could also arrive by winter.
Lindemann said he’s still exploring plans to piecemeal the upfront costs over the next several years, but city officials have still prepared plans to cover the project entirely with new taxes.
Most bids for Lindemann’s project haven’t been received. The costs, he has repeatedly emphasized, are subject to change by the end of July. But Schor and the City Council had to figure out how to finance the project as part of the annual budget, which was passed Monday.
The largest single contributor will be the Red Cedar development itself, which is slated to pitch in at least $2.75 million in local assessment costs. The rest of the project will be covered by assessments and through additional property taxes from every tax-paying property owner.
Lindemann emphasized that interest rates on his bonding proposal that would cover the costs of the project are particularly low, which could reduce costs if he strikes quickly to borrow. Some construction, he noted, is also already ongoing and must also be completed before the winter.
“Roadblocks to this project have only cost the taxpayers millions of dollars in delays,” Lindemann said. “This could’ve been done years ago — and for a much cheaper rate. These continued delays would only cause us to lose more savings. I’m sorry about the COVID-19 thing, but I had no control over that. There’s nothing I can do to slow this down now. I can look for better pricing structures and manipulate the borrowing into pieces, but it cannot be stopped.”
While Lansing is expected to cover 64% of the project, the rest will be split up among Lansing Township, with 14%; the Michigan Department of Transportation, with 10%; East Lansing, with 7%; and the Ingham County Road Department, with 5%. Other municipalities, like East Lansing, plan to spread the new costs across a new assessment for every property owner in the city.
The City Council doesn’t need to set the tax rolls until later this summer as costs are finalized, but officials drafted a list of which property owners would be affected by the new assessment. Costs haven’t been finalized, but they will be based on acreage and expected runoff rates.
Which properties could be assessed for Lansing’s share of the project?
|
Property Owner |
Parcel Address |
Acreage in District |
|
CITY OF LANSING |
STONEWOOD DR. |
0.435 |
|
KARISHMA NASSERY |
3211 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.316 |
|
BOARD OF WATER & LIGHT |
VACANT |
0.114 |
|
THERESA E VANDORPE |
3221 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.186 |
|
MARGARET J JOHNSON |
3227 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.140 |
|
GEORGE & CHRISTINE KYRIAKOU |
3231 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.127 |
|
PAUL & LOIS MIDTHUN |
3237 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.117 |
|
SUSAN L NORTON |
3245 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.100 |
|
MICHELE M ABRAMS |
3251 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.042 |
|
TARA J SHEA |
3301 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.041 |
|
MICHAEL & ERIN SARZYNSKI |
3307 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.057 |
|
DONALD & JOCELYN S VANDA |
3315 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.060 |
|
KIRBY L & BETH M SMITH |
1301 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.213 |
|
RONALD J & ANNETTE M IRWIN |
3208 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.240 |
|
MICHAEL Z & KANGYAN WONG |
3201 HILLGATE CIRCLE |
0.379 |
|
DAVID H DEKKER |
3209 HILLGATE CIRCLE |
0.267 |
|
MICHAEL & JENIFER NELLER |
3213 HILLGATE CIRCLE |
0.313 |
|
ALLAN L SHERWIN |
1142 HILLGATE WAY |
0.209 |
|
JEANETTE M SCROGGINS |
1132 HILLGATE WAY |
0.275 |
|
ANDREW S FREEMAN |
1122 HILLGATE WAY |
0.237 |
|
JACK R & BONNIE L PIOTTER |
1114 HILLGATE WAY |
0.191 |
|
RONALD R & DAYNA L REYNOLDS |
1103 SHELTER LN. |
0.279 |
|
PATRICIA A HOWELL |
1115 SHELTER LN. |
0.218 |
|
HELEN ENANDER |
1123 SHELTER LN. |
0.238 |
|
MARK & LIZABETH A OLSON |
1129 SHELTER LN. |
0.315 |
|
JOHN L & BETH HAUBENSTRICKER |
1139 SHELTER LN. |
0.293 |
|
LINDSAY S FORTMAN & SUSAN A CRANE |
1145 SHELTER LN. |
0.230 |
|
DAVID P FISHER |
1151 SHELTER LN. |
0.230 |
|
CARRIE D DELFAVERO |
1159 SHELTER LN. |
0.244 |
|
DANIEL A & MELISSA L MACKEY |
3240 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.239 |
|
PHILIP R & MARY R BARRIE |
3232 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.239 |
|
LENG NOU & VUE XIONG |
3226 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.233 |
|
KATHY S GRUHN |
3218 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.203 |
|
STEVEN D DILLEY & JOANNE D TRU BUMP |
1141 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.369 |
|
DEBORAH L & GERALD M FOSTER |
1127 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.490 |
|
MICHAEL D & BARBARA HOLDA |
1119 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.226 |
|
CHARLES GORDON JR |
1107 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.284 |
|
JASON & JENNIFER SMITH |
1043 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.136 |
|
JOSEPH & LORETTA A WISNIEWSKI FAMILY TRUST |
3116 FAIRWAY CT. |
0.247 |
|
SAM H LU & YANG SUN LIAN |
3110 FAIRWAY CT. |
0.201 |
|
TIM PORTEE |
3106 FAIRWAY CT. |
0.276 |
|
PIDA GWAZANI E & KELLY CHIFUNDO |
3107 FAIRWAY CT. |
0.338 |
|
STEVEN G & CRYSTAL L CORBETT |
3109 FAIRWAY CT. |
0.423 |
|
ZHI C YE |
1019 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.377 |
|
LARRY C & PAMELA JO GUERRANT |
1210 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.290 |
|
HARVEY & ROBERTA CANNON |
1202 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.231 |
|
SAID ELMOGABER & HAMDIA ELOSTAZ |
1144 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.248 |
|
PETER N ACHUONJEI |
1136 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.248 |
|
ASPAR LLC |
1128 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.242 |
|
TIMOTHY D BROWN |
1120 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.249 |
|
AUDREY D BENTLEY |
1114 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.256 |
|
KELLIE L GARRETT |
1108 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.348 |
|
TIMOTHY JOHNSON & SARAH B CENSONIJOHNSON |
1102 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.338 |
|
DONALD HILLIARD |
1040 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.220 |
|
SARAH E DANIELS |
1036 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.268 |
|
NATHAN R & COURTNEY L REYNOLDS |
1032 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.212 |
|
SHEBA MORAA ONCHIRI |
1028 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.216 |
|
WORKNESH TEFERRA |
1020 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.184 |
|
MICHAEL A & JUDITH A MINICH |
1014 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.184 |
|
KRIS R YOUNG |
1008 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.160 |
|
WILLIAM N & ELAINE KRITSELIS |
936 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.128 |
|
HUHWA WU |
1001 SHELTER LN. |
0.245 |
|
MALIK E M A & HAFSA BALLA |
1005 SHELTER LN. |
0.259 |
|
TOMMY L & CHAD D BUCKLES |
1011 SHELTER LN. |
0.321 |
|
MARY CARROCCIO |
1019 SHELTER LN. |
0.247 |
|
SARAH CARTER |
1025 SHELTER LN. |
0.245 |
|
JUDY L FOLEY |
1029 SHELTER LN. |
0.270 |
|
NASHWA A KHOGALI |
1035 SHELTER LN. |
0.353 |
|
CHRISTOPHER A & KRISTEN L UMPHLETT |
1037 SHELTER LN. |
0.388 |
|
ANDRES M & DIANA C QUINTERO |
1039 SHELTER LN. |
0.262 |
|
SELIN FAMILY TRUST |
1049 SHELTER LN. |
0.219 |
|
MERNA M BUDDEN |
1105 HILLGATE WAY |
0.256 |
|
CHANGYI WANG |
1115 HILLGATE WAY |
0.307 |
|
BRAD L & ELIZABETH A LAMACCHIA |
1123 HILLGATE WAY |
0.303 |
|
TIMOTHY L MUSSON |
1131 HILLGATE WAY |
0.247 |
|
JOEL A & ARLENE R SHARKEY |
1139 HILLGATE WAY |
0.237 |
|
PHAT K & LAN G HA |
1147 HILLGATE WAY |
0.245 |
|
JAMES R & KAREN A FIROS |
1155 HILLGATE WAY |
0.219 |
|
FAZEL M & MASOOMA A NOORI |
1203 HILLGATE WAY |
0.250 |
|
DALTON M CHILDRESS JR |
1211HILLGATE WAY |
0.166 |
|
DANIEL L MACHIORLATTI |
1164 SHELTER LN. |
0.235 |
|
DAVID A & MARY ANN MERCHANT |
1152 SHELTER LN. |
0.234 |
|
KURT R WAGNER |
1148 SHELTER LN. |
0.234 |
|
BARBARA POWERS |
1140 SHELTER LN. |
0.234 |
|
YVONNE & KURTZ SEAMAN |
1132 SHELTER LN. |
0.234 |
|
RONALD RAY & ENLIN YAO ABBOTT |
1126 SHELTER LN. |
0.234 |
|
MICHAEL E & JENNIFER R & DEBOW ORAH NELLER |
1118 SHELTER LN. |
0.234 |
|
DANIEL J DEKKER |
1110 SHELTER LN. |
0.234 |
|
RUI H & LI XIAO Z HUANG |
1100 SHELTER LN. |
0.185 |
|
JACK H & FRIEDA M DELNAAY |
1056 SHELTER LN. |
0.248 |
|
WILLIAM J FLUKE |
1048 SHELTER LN. |
0.248 |
|
ABAYNESH & GELETA DESTA FIDA |
1044 SHELTER LN. |
0.271 |
|
JOE & KEIKO COUSINS |
1036 SHELTER LN. |
0.336 |
|
TSVETA LAMBO |
1034 SHELTER LN. |
0.330 |
|
MICAH T COUSINS |
1032 SHELTER LN. |
0.233 |
|
AILIE M WEAVER |
1030 SHELTER LN. |
0.176 |
|
SCOTT BANKROFF |
1028 SHELTER LN. |
0.199 |
|
LINDA L SCHMITT |
1026 SHELTER LN. |
0.196 |
|
ERNEST R & SHIRLEY CONRAD |
1020 SHELTER LN. |
0.221 |
|
STEVEN P DEMBSKI & LAURA BIX |
1016 SHELTER LN. |
0.207 |
|
MOLLY WHELAN |
1010 SHELTER LN. |
0.180 |
|
DAVID R MAIN |
1004 SHELTER LN. |
0.180 |
|
JAMES K JR & KATHLEEN MACDONALD |
1000 SHELTER LN. |
0.254 |
|
SAMUEL D SCHULTZ |
3115 HOLIDAY DR. |
0.209 |
|
JOSHUA & LAURA CUNNINGHAM |
3201 MELODY LN. |
0.255 |
|
YANWAN L SAUNDERS |
3207 MELODY LN. |
0.243 |
|
MARIA MERCEDES LUIS |
3211 MELODY LN. |
0.202 |
|
ADAM J SHAVER |
3215 MELODY LN. |
0.215 |
|
PATRICK D & CARLA L BARNES |
3301 MELODY LN. |
0.332 |
|
PETER & RENEE HOFFMAN |
3307 MELODY LN. |
0.257 |
|
MAURICIO PORTILLO |
3313 MELODY LN. |
0.249 |
|
BERNICE & DONESON SUSAN GOTTSCHALCK & KATHRYN G LIPNICKI |
3321 MELODY LN. |
0.281 |
|
NGAO PHIRI |
3331 MELODY LN. |
0.220 |
|
DAVID A HADDAD |
1017 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.193 |
|
TERRANCE K & JANICE WELSH |
1023 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.193 |
|
ALA YAHYA |
1029 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.193 |
|
SULEIMAN H MATTO |
1035 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.193 |
|
KATHLEEN D VALDES |
1041 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.193 |
|
GHADA WALKER |
1047 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.226 |
|
GAR JOHN LEE |
1053 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.220 |
|
LUCILLE M NILAN |
1101 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.234 |
|
DIRCK & THANHTAM TERWILLIGER |
1109 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.234 |
|
NADIA R PEREZCERNUDA |
1117 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.234 |
|
TRUYEN G & ANH N PHAN |
1125 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.234 |
|
CHERYL A LUICK |
1131 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.234 |
|
DANIELLE R BALLENTINE |
1201 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.234 |
|
JEFFERY L GOOCH |
1215 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.234 |
|
JAMES A JR EDWINA MARSHALL |
1233 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.234 |
|
RAYMOND & KARREN VERNAGUS |
3322 STONEWOOD DR. |
0.234 |
|
S & S PROPERTY MGMT LLC |
3101 E SAGINAW ST |
0.950 |
|
REFALO MANAGEMENT LLC |
3125 E SAGINAW ST |
0.986 |
|
SPEEDWAY LLC |
3201 E SAGINAW ST |
0.507 |
|
EDWARD F & CYNTHIA L TANK |
1009 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.251 |
|
EDWARD F & CYNTHIA L TANK |
1001 FAIRWAY LN. |
0.307 |
|
NMPMB LLC |
3101 FAIRWAY LN. |
3.261 |
|
IZABELLA HMC LLC |
3121 E GRAND RIVER AVE |
2.355 |
|
GK RETAIL HOLDINGS INC. |
3201 E GRAND RIVER AVE |
1.390 |
|
FRANDORSON PROPERTIES |
COOLIDGE RD. |
1.412 |
|
FRANDORSON PROPERTIES |
3415 E SAGINAW ST. |
2.588 |
|
WG SAGINAW LANSING MI LLC |
3435 E SAGINAW ST |
1.338 |
|
905 COOLIDGE LLC |
905 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.423 |
|
ATLANTIS PROPERTIES LLC |
921 COOLIDGE RD. |
0.580 |
|
DENNIS G & JANET M PALMER |
3328 MELODY LN |
0.215 |
|
KRIS R YOUNG |
3320 MELODY LN |
0.193 |
|
GREENE RENTALS LLC |
6107 FRESNO LN. |
0.207 |
|
TODD A & MICHELE S & AARON WARSTLER |
3308 MELODY LN. |
0.207 |
|
NEAL H DEVRIES |
3220 MELODY LN. |
0.178 |
|
DAROLD D & MARYANN P BOYD |
3212 MELODY LN. |
0.166 |
|
AMBER MANAGEMENT CO |
3206 MELODY LN. |
0.256 |
|
BRENTWOOD PLACE LLC |
3227 HOLIDAY DR. |
0.417 |
|
BRENTWOOD PLACE LLC |
3225 HOLIDAY DR. |
0.476 |
|
HOLIDAY TOWNHOUSE LLC |
3218 HOLIDAY DR. |
0.920 |
|
L31 LLC |
3208 HOLIDAY DR. |
0.646 |
|
L31 LLC |
3120 HOLIDAY DR. |
0.578 |
|
MICHAEL & NORMA COSCARELLI |
3106 HOLIDAY DR. |
0.292 |
|
VINCENT & SILVANA SPAGNUOLO |
3100 HOLIDAY DR. |
0.327 |
|
E MICHIGAN (3301) PARTNERS |
3301 E MICHIGAN AVE |
9.483 |
|
3335 E MICHIGAN LLC |
3335 E MICHIGAN AVE |
0.577 |
|
3411 E MICHIGAN AVE LLC |
3433 E MICHIGAN AVE |
1.007 |
|
EAST MICHIGAN (3301) |
FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE |
0.849 |
|
FIRST HOUSING CORPORATION |
200 FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE |
3.900 |
|
3301 EAST MICHIGAN PARTNERSHIP |
3315 E MICHIGAN AVE |
1.301 |
|
LINDEN ENTERPRISES LLC / AMBER MANAGEMENT CO |
1275 OAKRIDGE DR |
0.774 |
|
LANSING RETAIL CENTER LLC |
3100 E SAGNIAW ST |
1.414 |
|
LANSING RETAIL CENTER LLC |
300 FRANDOR AVE |
32.000 |
|
4TH STREET SOUTH II LLC GILLESPIE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT INC |
3131 E MICHIGAN AVE |
14.481 |
|
LANSING PROPERTIES I LLC |
3165 E MICHIGAN AVE |
3.368 |
|
LANSING RETAIL CENTER LLC |
E MICHIGAN AVE |
0.675 |
|
CITY OF LANSING |
3201 E MICHIGAN AVE |
18.900 |
|
PATRICIA J ALEXANDER |
3220 E SAGINAW ST |
1.090 |
|
RED LOBSTER INNS OF AMERICA INC RESTAURANT #0010201 |
3130 E SAGINAW ST |
0.999 |
|
DANIEL T MARSHALL |
3240 E SAGINAW ST |
1.035 |
|
EDSONS LLC |
3000 VINE ST |
0.618 |
|
COMERICA BANK |
223 N CLIPPERT ST |
1.112 |
|
KSH CORP |
200 N HOMER ST. |
0.664 |
|
SHAHEEN PROPERTIES LLC |
3003 E MICHIGAN AVE |
1.271 |
|
LANSING FARM PRODUCTS |
E MICHIGAN AVE |
0.705 |
|
SHAHEEN PROPERTIES LLC |
125 N CLIPPERT ST |
0.549 |
|
203 N CLIPPERT LLC |
203 N CLIPPERT ST |
0.274 |
|
SUBIK SINGH & SMITA OBEROI |
211 N CLIPPERT ST |
0.129 |
|
SALIM MARKHOUL |
215 N CLIPPERT ST |
0.124 |
|
CITY OF LANSING - MONTGOMERY DRAIN DISTRICT EASEMENT |
203 S CLIPPERT ST |
20.000 |
|
RED CEDAR REDEVELOPMENT - FERGUSON/KASS |
203 S CLIPPERT ST |
35.440 |
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