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GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Ingham County

Proposed Soil Erosion Ordinance
Proposed Soil Erosion Permit Fee Increase
Rewriting of Drain Rules

Ingham Drain Office Proposes Soil Erosion Permit Fee Increases (Nov. 2006)

In the fall of 2006, the Ingham County Drain Commissioner proposed to the Ingham County Board that he wanted to restructure the way he charges for Soil Erosion Permits. The theory behind the change is that the bad guys i.e. polluters will pay more, and the good guys or non-polluters will pay less. Thus the Commissioner proposed to lower the initial fee from $570 to $400. However, he added the provision for an escrow to be created that requires the developer to deposit a larger amount of money that would be refunded later. The purpose of the escrow is for the Commissioner to take draws from it to cover the cost of additional inspections etc. Thus, if the bad guys who pollute are requiring more of the Drain Commission office’s time, then theoretically more money will be drawn from their respective escrows.

Although GLHBA agreed with the concept, we would like to see it prove itself out over time. In fact, GLHBA attended the Ingham County Finance Committee meeting and asked the County Finance Committee to consider asking the Drain Commissioner to report back to them that fees do actually go down for the good guys and up for the bad guys. A copy of the current fee structure implemented by ICDC can be downloaded.

GLHBA decided to do a small study and comparison of drain fees across four counties: Ingham, Eaton, Clinton, and Livingston. Coincidentally, Clinton County was proposing changes to their fees at the same time we did the study. You can view a copy of the comparison.

Ingham Drain Commissioner Rewrites Drain Rules (Nov. 2006)

GLHBA began working with the Ingham County Drain Office in 2004 on an update and revision of the Drain Rules. Although progress has been slow, the Drain Office listened to GLHBA’s advice for streamlining the rules and the approval process. Some changes were made as a result of input from GLHBA. The most current copy, entitled “Standards for Storm Water Management” is 51 pages and can be downloaded in a PDF file directly from the Ingham County Drain Commissioner’s web site.

A copy of the recommendations made by GLHBA to the Ingham Drain Commissioner on the rules can also be viewed in PDF format.

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