SB 1080

SENATE BILL NO. 1080
A bill to amend 1956 PA 40, entitled
"The drain code of 1956,"
by amending section 154 (MCL 280.154), as amended by
2020 PA 281.
the people of the state of michigan enact:
Sec. 154. (1) The drain commissioner shall advertise
for the receipt of bids for the construction of a drain at a specified time,
date, and location. If the drain commissioner directly or indirectly maintains
an official internet presence, the drain commissioner shall post the
advertisement for the receipt of bids on a portion of the website that is fully
accessible to the public at least not less than 10 days before, and shall maintain the
posting through, the date set for the receipt of bids. If the drain
commissioner does not maintain an official internet presence, the advertisement
shall must be
so posted and maintained as described in this subsection on the county
website.
(2) The drain commissioner shall give notice, as described in
this section, of a public meeting to review the apportionment of benefits. The
meeting shall must be
not less than 5 or more than 30 days after the date set for receiving bids.
(3) The notice
under subsection (2) shall must be given by publication in a newspaper published
and of general circulation in the county at least not less than 10 days before the date of the review
of the apportionment.
(4) The drain
commissioner shall also send the notice
under subsection (2) by first-class mail, at least not less than 10 days before the date of the review
of the apportionment of benefits, to each person whose name appears on the last
city or township tax roll as owning land within the drainage district, at the
address shown on the roll. Notice need not be mailed to a person whose address
does not appear on the roll. The drain commissioner shall make an affidavit of
the mailing and shall recite in the affidavit that the notice was mailed to all
persons whose names and addresses appear on the tax rolls as owning land within
the drainage district. The affidavit is conclusive proof that notice was mailed
to each person to whom notice is required to be mailed. If notice has been sent
by first-class mail as provided in this subsection, the failure to receive
notice by mail does not constitute a jurisdictional defect invalidating a drain
proceeding or assessment. If the drain commissioner determines that the drain
is necessary for the public health and that the whole cost of the drain, except
that part which may be apportioned for benefits to highways, shall must be
apportioned to municipalities, then mailing of individual notices to persons
owning land within the drainage district as provided in this subsection is not
required.
(5) At least Not less than 10
days before the date of the review of the apportionment, the drain commissioner
shall serve the notice under subsection (2) personally or by certified mail on
the county clerk and a member of the board of county road commissioners of the
county and on the supervisor of each township and clerk of each city or village
to be assessed at large.
(6) The notice
under subsection (2) shall must contain all of the following:
(a) A statement
that comments on the apportionment of benefits may be submitted to the drain
commissioner in writing before the date of the meeting to review the
apportionment or may be submitted in writing or orally at the review. meeting. The
statement shall must
specify the drain commissioner's postal mailing address and electronic mail email address
and indicate that comments submitted in advance must be received by the drain
commissioner before the date of the meeting to ensure consideration.
(b) The date, time,
and place of the meeting to review the apportionment of benefits.
(c) A statement
that, at the meeting to review the apportionment of benefits, the drain
commissioner will have available to review the tentative apportionments against
parcels and municipalities within the drainage district.
(d) For notice
mailed to a person under subsection (4), the estimated percentage and dollar
amount apportioned to that person's land, the estimated annual dollar amount
apportioned to that person's land, and the estimated project assessment
duration.
(e) A statement
that drain assessments against land will be collected in the same manner as
property taxes.
(f) A statement
that if drain assessments against land are collected by installment, the land
owner may pay the assessments in full with any interest to date at any time and
thereby avoid further interest charges.
(g) The name of
each county, township, city, or village to be assessed at large.
(h) The name or
number of the drain.
(i) The address of
a website, as provided for in subsection (7), and a statement that the
following additional information can be found at that address:
(i) A description of the land constituting
the drainage district for the drain. The description may be given by providing
a map of the drainage district, by designating the boundaries of the drainage
district by streets, highways, parcels, or tracts of land, or by describing the
tracts or parcels of land constituting the district. If a parcel or tract is
partially located within the district, for the purposes of the notice
description only, the drain commissioner may consider the entire parcel or
tract to be located in the district.
(ii) The number and length of sections, the
average depth and width of each section, and if the drain will be a closed
drain, the amount and specifications of all tile or pipe required.
(iii) The location, number, type, and size of
all culverts and bridges.
(iv) The conditions upon on which the
contract will be awarded.
(7) If the drain
commissioner directly or indirectly maintains an official internet presence,
the drain commissioner shall post the information described in subsection
(6)(a) to (c) and (e) to (h) on a portion of the website that is fully
accessible to the public and shall maintain the posting through the date of the
meeting to review the apportionment of benefits. If the drain commissioner does
not maintain an official internet presence, the information shall must be so posted and maintained as
described in this subsection on the county website.
(8) Notwithstanding
the information provided in the notice under subsection (6)(d), the drain
commissioner may subsequently make adjustments to any of the following that the
drain commissioner or drainage board considers
necessary, without further notice or an additional meeting to review the
apportionment of benefits:
(a) The estimated
apportionment percentage.
(b) The estimated
annual project assessment.
(c) The estimated
project assessment duration.
(9) Not less than 7 days after the mailing of the notice under
subsection (2) by first-class mail, a person owning land within the drainage
district whose costs, damages, and expenses exceed the benefits of the proposed
drain may file an objection with the drain commissioner. The drain commissioner
may consider any objections under this subsection and prescribe the form and
manner in which the objections are submitted. An objection under this
subsection may include the nature of the objection, including, but not limited
to, the alleged reasons that an apportionment is considered unjust or
inequitable, and a description of the land that is the subject of the
objection.
(10) (9) Bids
for the construction of the drain shall must be received and the total cost of the drain shall must be
computed before the time set for review of the apportionment. The computation shall must be open
to inspection. If the computation is not completed before the review of the
apportionment, the drain commissioner shall adjourn the review from time to
time, not more than 20 days in all, for the completion of the computation, or
shall call a new meeting to review the apportionment of benefits and give
notice as provided in subsections (3) to (7). If the contracts on which the
computation was based are not executed and new contracts are let at a higher
price, the drain commissioner shall correct the computation and, after giving
notice as provided in subsections (3) to (7), hold a new review of the
apportionment.
(11) (10) At
the date, time, and place specified in the notice, or at another date, time,
and place to which the county drain
commissioner may adjourn the meeting, the apportionment of benefits shall must be
subject to review for at least 1 day. The review shall
must be held open from 9 a.m. until 5
p.m. At the review, the county clerk or the county road commission may appear
on behalf of the county, the supervisor of a township may appear on behalf of a
township, the mayor or an officer of the city designated by the mayor may
appear on behalf of a city, and the president may appear on behalf of a
village. At the review the county drain
commissioner shall consider the proofs and allegations and shall do both of the
following:
(a) Carefully
reconsider and review the apportionment of benefits.
(b) Define and
equalize the apportionment as is just and equitable.
(12) (11) If
an apportionment of benefits is made against a state trunk line highway, unless
the director of the state transportation department
of transportation consents in writing to the
apportionment, the drain commissioner shall notify by certified mail the
director of the state transportation department
of transportation of the percentage apportioned
against the highway and the date, time, and place for a review of apportionment
of benefits by the drain commissioner under subsection (2). The notice shall must be
mailed at least not
less than 20 days before the review of the apportionment. If the
director of the state transportation department
of transportation instead desires to have the
apportionment of benefits reviewed by the director of the department of
agriculture and rural development, the director of the state transportation department ,within of transportation, not less than 10 days after receiving the notice under
this subsection, shall file with the drain commissioner an objection to the
apportionment. The drain commissioner shall notify the director of the
department of agriculture and rural development of the date, time, and place
for the review of apportionments. At the meeting, the director of the
department of agriculture and rural development, or a deputy of the director,
shall review the apportionment made against the state trunk line highway and
listen to the proofs and allegations of the parties, and may view the highway
benefited. The written decision on the apportionment under this subsection is
final.