By Megan Kelley
Editor
mkelley@mihomepaper.com
INDEPENDENCE TWP. — During its meeting on May 20, the Independence Township Board of Trustees approved an assessing contract with Springfield Township by a 5-1 vote. Trustee Sam Moraco cast the lone nay vote and Trustee Jim Tedder was absent from the meeting. The board also approved a budget amendment of $1,000 for oil and gas.
In recent months, the Oakland County Board of Commissioners approved an increase in its rates for assessing services for 32 townships anywhere from 50 to 100%. Because of this, municipalities are seeking partnerships outside of the county to receive assessing services, one such partnership being with Independence Township, which has its own assessing department.
“Independence Township’s assessing has excess capacity right now and we’re looking to lower our overall internal cost. So we either had a couple options; we could either outsource it 100%, we could cut staff or we could go and try to increase revenue. So we decided, as a group, from the assessing department through me, to go out and take the opportunity that the county has presented,” said Supervisor Chuck Phyle.
Phyle indicated that the township is not looking to make further contracts such as this with other townships aside from potentially the City of the Village of Clarkston as both the city and Springfield Township have more similarities to Independence as far as parcels than townships like Orion and Oxford.
“That opened the door for an opportunity for people who have their assessing in house, like Independence Township, to be able to go out and try to be neighborly and help out our neighbors. Springfield Township is obviously one of our neighbors, they touch our borders, we have other programs with them, through the Parks and Rec, we work with them on the SRO (School Resource Officers), so we kind of have a history of having a neighborly relationship.”
According to township documents, the value of the contract rounds out to $103,115.
Moraco expressed concern about the contract contributing to an increased workload within the township’s assessing department and becoming a situation where the pay off isn’t worth the expense.
Despite his concerns, the board approved the contract and is expected to generate a surplus in the General Fund of $102,115.