Fenton tax increase for road construction
PHOTO Bree Soule
March 2, 2022
In November, 2021, the Fenton City Council voted on raising taxes for the city, with 59 percent of the votes in favor of this change. The council asked citizens to pay $24 million in total over a 10-year span, using the funds to repair the roads in Fenton.
The proposal is for road construction, from last year, and repairing roads that didn’t get repaired in future years because annual funding can’t cover the cost of city road repairs, according to ABC12.
“Road funds are a challenge for every city in Michigan. Fenton has made good use of the funds given for things like the roads, but there are roads that need repair that haven’t gotten it yet, so the tax increase will handle that,” City Manager Lynn Markland said to ABC12.
The street and road cost will raise taxes by 3.5 mills, the tax rate of the property, or $3.50 for every $1,000 that’s taxable for around 10 years and three months. The city would pay an average of $266 more the first year of taxing depending on the tax value.
Markland believes the tax increase will let the Fenton Department of Public Works begin construction on roads besides just Fentons main roads, as well as water pipes and sewage lines, like residential streets. Something that was previously prevented from being worked on because annual budgeting didn’t allow it.
The city will borrow money via bonds and taxes in three series, totaling out to more or less than $8 million in taxing this year and lowering in the next few years. This money will then be used on road construction, repair and conserving the roads already rebuilt if needed.
Markland has presented the draft of the plan to City Council, calling it the Draft Local Street Plan. Markland thinks the plan will serve the community for decades even after it’s completed as stated in his memos on the draft.
“This is the resolution we found works best for taxpayers and the rate the council wishes to repair roads, with eight million dollars this year the city will be able to repair roads quickly,” Fenton Mayor Sue Osborn said to ABC12. “This will come at a lower cost to taxpayers in future years as more roads are repaired.”
For more information on the tax increase, check out cityoffenton.org and look at how much could be owed on property taxes or taxes in general.
