By DEBRA HAIGHT

Special to Leader Publications

Although Howard Township residents have made their opposition to new taxes and assessments known over the years, Tuesday’s public hearing at Hope Community Church drew less people than hearings earlier this summer, when a special assessment was approved to pay for a new fire station.

While the summer public hearings on the fire station special assessment drew hundreds of residents, less than 40 people attended Tuesday’s public hearing. Comments at the hearing came from SMCAS Executive Director Brian Scribner, board members and residents for and against establishing a special assessment district.

Resident Marjorie Pinard said she does not like the idea that all parcels, including vacant lots, will be assessed $20 each year to support SMCAS.

“It doesn’t seem equitable to me to be charged for vacant lots,” Pinard said.

Resident Barb Green agreed.

“It doesn’t seem to be fair to farmers and those with vacant land,” she said. “How often does SMCAS come out to a call on vacant land?”

That view was echoed in letters submitted by Cliff Poehlman and his wife. They noted that they farm many parcels of land and will have to pay $460 more each year for the SMCAS assessment.

Previously, vacant lots and farm land were not assessed a fee for SMCAS when the SMCAS assessment was approved by voters years ago. The last public vote on the SMCAS assessment occurred in 2012, with that assessment expiring last December.

Resident John Horner was one of a handful who spoke in favor of the assessment.

“I think $20 is reasonable for the assurance it gives people,” Horner said. “It’s really reasonable.”

Scribner said most people will pay an amount similar to what they have been paying annually for the last two decades to support the ambulance service. He said the service’s legal counsel has advised them that state law requires them to bill every real parcel of land. SMCAS had only been assessing houses and apartments before.

He noted that making the change to assessing all parcels of land has allowed SMCAS to keep the assessment amount down.

“We were going to increase the assessment slightly to cover increased costs for salaries and ambulances,” Scribner said. “When we discovered we needed to assess more parcels, we decided not to increase the amount.”

He said the service has made a lot of financial progress over the last three years since he was hired and is now in the “black.”

“The assessment represents 17 percent of our budget,” Scribner said. “We need it to survive and provide services. Without it, we would have to cut services.”

Township Supervisor Craig Bradfield noted that the township would still have to come up with nearly $53,000—the amount expected to be raised annually in the township from the new assessment—to support SMCAS without the special assessment.

“That would soon deplete our reserves and we’d have to drop out of SMCAS,” Bradfield said.

In answer to concerns about farmers having to pay more than others because they own more parcels of land, Bradfield said it is an issue the township cannot do anything about because it is state law.

Tuesday’s hearing in Howard Township was the last of the first round of public hearings held in the six SMCAS owner municipalities to create a special assessment district. The ambulance service is owned by the cities of Niles and Buchanan and Niles, Buchanan, Bertrand and Howard townships.

Scribner said after the meeting that people’s concerns have varied from municipality to municipality. Some have mentioned the recent criminal conviction of former SMCAS Director Tim Gray for embezzlement while others have expressed frustration that there is no public vote on the assessment.

Gray was convicted of embezzling nearly $100,000 from the service. Scribner said they have recovered $70,000 from insurance and are still waiting for a restitution hearing to be held in Berrien County Trial Court.

“We’ve heard a lot of support as well as some frustrated that there’s not a vote,” Scribner said. “There are a lot of farmers in Buchanan Township and Howard Township and I get why they’re not happy.”

The next step in the process is the holding of a second and final set of public hearings where people can make comments about or objections to the SMCAS special assessment role. They start this week in Buchanan Township and continue next Monday in the city of Niles and then in the other four municipalities.

The second public hearing in Howard Township has been set for 6 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Howard Township Business Office on Barron Lake Road. The township board will then vote to accept the assessment roll at its regular monthly meeting on Oct. 17.