Woodberry Estates Residents to Pay $848 Extra for Repair of Sidewalks, Roads

Residents in Woodberry Estates will have to reach into their wallets for a little extra over the next three years to cover the cost of repairs to their subdivision's streets and crosswalks.

The Macomb Township Board of Trustees approved the details of a newly-established special assessment district (SAD) for the complex on Dec. 26, which will levy an $848 charge per parcel over the next three years at .5 percent interest per year.

The cost per parcel was previously projected to be $973.

A special assessment district is a term used to designate a unique charge the township can assess against real estate parcels for certain public projects. In the case of Woodberry Estates, the SAD will be used to repair and repave streets and crosswalks. 

The project is estimated to cost a total of $257,689. The township has divided this cost among the 301 properties in the subdivision's phase one and phase two that will benefit from the project. A third of the $848 per parcel charge will appear on residents' summer tax bills through 2015.

According to the Woodberry Estates Condominium Association website, 57 percent of the residents signed a SAD petition of interest.

Construction work should begin on the project sometime in the spring or summer of 2013. The Macomb County Department of Roads will bid out the project, select a contractor and include the repairs on their 2013 construction schedule. The department will then take over future maintenance of the roads.

Editor's Note: While charges levied on a special assessment district are often done so via a resident's tax bill, the charge itself is not a tax.