The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
'Team for Scio' discusses the issues
By Sean Dalton, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: July 24, 2008
"Team for Scio 2008" is the name of a group of seven candidates running for positions on the Scio Township Board of Trustees in the Aug. 5 election.
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However, it is just one of three "slates" of candidates, each with different viewpoints.
The others include "Preserve Scio 2008," which was profiled in the July 10 edition of The Dexter Leader, and "Leadership for Scio 2008," which was profiled July 17.
Due to space considerations, an abbreviated list of questions and answers from the candidates is below; for the full version and candidate biographies go to www.dexterleader.com.
Your group cites the experience on the planning commission that its membership collectively possesses as an asset. How does this translate into effective government at the township board level?
Marty Mayo: Scio's planning commission performs detailed reviews of all the zoning changes and site plan applications in the township. The commission is also responsible for preparing the township's future land use master plan.
Land-use planning is critical to the well-being of township residents, can combat sprawl, create economic opportunities, protect natural resources, and add to residents' quality of life.
As a Planning Commissioner and past planning commission chair, I've seen first-hand how the application of our zoning ordinance and our master plan can shape Scio's look and feel.
Our township board will serve our township best when our elected leaders work together as a team, reach consensus about how to proceed and then take action.
I have worked with the members of the Team for Scio for many years as a planning commissioner and planning commission chair, as the leader of our Land Use Master Plan survey team and as a member of our Sewer Service Advisory Committee.
The members of the Team for Scio know how to work together. We know how to reasonably differ but reach consensus, to act, get work done and move on to the next issue.
Since your group is experienced in regard to planning, discuss some of the township's vacant commercial- and industrial-zoned property and how that factors into this strength. Where is the unrealized potential on which you will focus? How will you attract developers to those places? Where do you think developments should not be allowed?
Doug Fuller: We plan to work actively with our new planning commission and the Scio Downtown Development Authority to identify areas where properties in the DDA can be consolidated or reused to promote Scio's opportunities for employment growth.
Many of the buildings along Jackson Boulevard were built years ago, prior to the enactment of current zoning laws and design guidelines and before the road was expanded into a boulevard.
The township cannot require property owners to tear down their existing buildings, but it can set standards for new construction in the future, and it can encourage property owners to work with the DDA and Ann Arbor Area SPARK to attract the kinds of employers and services that will lead our region into the new economy.
Scio must work constructively with neighboring communities to direct future development and preservation and capture the opportunities presented by our unique local resources and talents.
It would appear that you are in favor of expanding the township's sewer capacity along the Jackson Road corridor in some way, aside from simply purchasing more capacity from Ann Arbor. Do you favor building a facility to meet the township's needs? If so, what kind of facility and how much will it cost? How do you intend to pay for such a facility or any alternative to expanding your service contract with Ann Arbor?
Jim Dries: The Team for Scio favors providing adequate sewer service inside the township's current sewer service districts. Providing adequate service will meet the township's commitments to property owners and prevent the sprawl of high-density growth into farmland and open space.
Today we are critically short of sewer capacity in our established sewer districts. Originally designed in 1984, prior administrations expanded the districts to include several new high-density residential developments. The capacity allocated to new developments, outside the original districts, was never made up, and today we have available capacity for only about 80 average homes. We need capacity for another 1,000.
Right now, because we don't have that capacity, we're facing applications to build high-density developments in and outside our sewer districts with privately owned sewer plants. These developments would contribute to sprawl. Private wastewater treatment plants can be a threat to our water quality.
Scio Township's Sewer Service Advisory Committee is in the process of evaluating the final alternatives for providing clean and economical sewer service to our 2,300 existing customers, and for future customers who have been allocated service in our existing sewer service districts.
We're weighing the alternative of building our own new wastewater treatment plant against continuing to purchase wastewater treatment services from the city of Ann Arbor. So far, the numbers favor constructing our own wastewater treatment facility.
This is because Ann Arbor currently charges a high price for wastewater treatment. And they have informed us that the rate will increase at a minimum of 5 percent per year. That means that Ann Arbor's price to process 100 cubic feet of wastewater will increase from $3.39 today to $15.38 in 2028.
A Scio-owned plant would process 100 cubic feet of wastewater for $1.31 today and $3.38 in 2028. Based on this cost difference, over 20 years it appears that we can pay for a new treatment plant and return up to $78 million to our customers.
That's mega-savings to our residents and businesses. The new facility would be financed entirely by revenues from our current customers, who will see savings as soon as four years after construction is completed. Over 20 years our ratepayers will save 40 percent, compared to the Ann Arbor alternative.
So far responses from our bond counsel and the Washtenaw County Department of Public Works support our engineering and financial analyses.
In early July we asked Ann Arbor to commit to a 20-year contract with no processing cost increases. So far we've had no response.
The new facility would serve only our Jackson Road and (Washtenaw Intermediate School District) sewer service districts and would be sized to meet those districts' current and future needs, based on today's zoning and master plan.
It would probably be built on industrial land and would discharge into the Huron River via Honey Creek. The new plant will meet the Department of Environmental Quality's aggressive phosphorous standards, which are not currently met by the Ann Arbor City plant.
So unless we hear something positive from Ann Arbor soon, I expect that the committee will recommend that the Scio board get started on the process needed to construct our own plant.
One big issue right now in the township is public safety. How do you intend to deal with this issue? Describe your vision for an ideal public safety situation and how much it will cost. Where will the money come from?
Nancy Hedberg: Providing adequate police and fire protection for Scio's residents is the paramount objective for any municipal government.
Our needs for these services increase as we grow in population and as we age. And the costs to provide them grow as well. In 2006 the voters overwhelmingly rejected a public safety millage proposed by the current township leadership. After that vote, a public safety committee was set up, composed of local businesspeople, residents, and township officials, to study the question and propose a resolution.
That committee, whose charge was written by a member of our team, and which includes another Team member on the committee, made its final report to the Board of Trustees on March 26. The final report details that the township's public safety services are currently significantly understaffed and underfunded, and makes recommendations as to how best to close the gap.
I applaud the work of the public safety committee, and my team supports the committee's recommendations. We recognize that implementing those recommendations likely means a special assessment district that would exclude the village of Dexter.
I certainly understand the general sentiment against any tax increase, and I believe that the previous millage request was too large, and that the current administration did not adequately explain why the increase was needed.
If an assessment for additional public safety funding is proposed, I will work hard to ensure that township residents understand exactly what is being proposed, where the money will go, and why it is necessary.
Please give an in-depth account of your vision for parks and land preservation in Scio Township. Your group's Web site seems to remove some emphasis from active recreation opportunities, and you mention developers putting parks and tot lots in, but will that be enough to meet the needs of residents who in your survey last year seemingly were in favor of more robust recreation opportunities?
Christine Green: Team for Scio supports a broad definition of "parks." We believe that parks include not only sports fields and playgrounds, but also walkways and trails, habitat preservation and space for community/educational activities.
Obviously, parks - no matter how the word is defined - cost money. We have worked (and will continue to work) to promote the establishment of parkland within the township through a variety of methods.
First, Team for Scio members were active in passing Proposal J in 2004. Proposal J provides funds for the acquisition of farmland, open space and future parklands.
As planning commissioners, members of our team helped create the township's new Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan, and one member of our team sits on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan Review Committee.
The adoption of the parks plan was a necessary component for obtaining state funding for parks acquisition and maintenance.
Also as planning commissioners, Team members have worked to require developers to provide playgrounds and "tot lots" for township residents. Our work on the planning commission has also given us the opportunity to work with the Washtenaw County Land Trust to obtain land for passive recreation, such as the Devine Preserve.
Our team will continue these efforts. We have demonstrated the ability and skill to obtain funding necessary to promote a variety of parkland, but we know that Scio is an active community that would like more opportunities for active and passive recreation.
With the funding and relationships that members of our Team have worked to establish, we will provide township residents with these opportunities.
How do you intend to protect the natural features of the township? Describe zoning ordinance changes that you favor that would help accomplish that goal.
Tom Hanson: We will work through our Land Use Master Plan and our zoning ordinance to restrict development of land that contains important natural features.
I favor zoning ordinance changes that will increase the protective buffers around streams and waterways to protect water quality, native plants, and wildlife. And I favor reducing the number of trees that may be removed during development, and requiring developers to plant more trees and manage existing woodlands.
Consistent with our dedication to partner with public and private entities, I will work closely with organizations like the Huron River Watershed Council and our neighboring communities to explore means to protect these resources and to educate our residents about how each one of us can contribute to this effort.
How will you make the township friendlier to non-motorized transportation? How will you fund it? Even if new developments are required to accomplish this as a requirement for site plan approval, what do you do about existing subdivisions and other established developments?
Donna Palmer: The benefits of increasing non-motorized transportation opportunities are virtually endless: From doing our part to cut down on global warming and dependence on foreign oil to simply having a more fit, active and vital community, non-motorized transportation makes sense.
The planning commission's recent township-wide survey results show Scio residents want to get out of their cars, and we are committed to enabling them to do so.
Team members who serve on the planning commission have already been working on increasing the non-motorized opportunities available to township residents by enacting and enforcing sidewalk ordinances that require all new developments to be pedestrian- and bike-friendly.
In addition, the planning commission has also adopted an open space and greenways plan, which serves as a blueprint for not only the creation of a network of paths and trails within the township, but also for the preservation of areas for wildlife movement.
Ultimately, however, any non-motorized transportation option becomes a question of funding and inter-governmental cooperation. My team is committed to working with the Ann Arbor Transit Authority and other partners to increase service within the township at a reasonable cost.
We also intend to work with the Washtenaw County Road Commission on providing more bike lanes on public roads, and we have already reached out to the Washtenaw County Planning Department to discuss funding options for implementing the vision expressed in the open space and greenways plan.
There are a number of funding sources available that can be used to increase non-motorized transportation opportunities. It takes innovation, cooperation and hard work, all of which have been hallmarks of my team's experience in township government.
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