Cadillac, Haring Township seriously discuss sharing municipal services

CADILLAC -— An emergency situation at a Haring Township retailer could have sparked serious discussions about sharing municipal services.

The Cadillac City Council is ready to allow Wal-Mart Supercenter in Haring Township to transport its wastewater to the city’s treatment facility. It will cost about $120 a day because the store’s own treatment system failed.

The decision to allow Wal-Mart to treat its wastewater in Cadillac is part of a bigger debate on Haring Township’s need for sewer service and the question if the township should build its own facility.

A number of businesses in Haring Township already are serviced with city sewer through a sewer district agreement. The agreement allows the businesses to use the service until 2017, when the contract is set to expire.

Haring Township and city of Cadillac officials had long been at odds about who is entitled to service. The Cadillac City Council previously denied Wal-Mart’s request to send its wastewater to the Cadillac plant.

If Wal-Mart could not find a local place for wastewater treatment, the retail giant was prepared to build its own system.

Cadillac City Manager Pete Stalker said it just makes more sense to let Wal-Mart bring its sewage to Cadillac instead of building its own facility. That way, when a new agreement is reached between the city and Haring, Wal-Mart can remain a sewer customer.

Township supervisor Bob Scarbrough said environmentally speaking, the agreement also eliminates the construction of a large septic system.

All the talk to reach an agreement on Wal-Mart has led to bigger things.

Haring has long been planning construction of its own wastewater plant because the city of Cadillac had a strong stance on allowing parties outside the city to reap the benefits of city services without paying its full share in taxes.

“From the township’s point-of-view, sewer has been an issue for a long time and the board wants the best deal possible for residents and businesses,” Scarbrough said.

“We’ve taken our time and explored the alternatives; we’re not going to rush to a decision to appease one person,” Scarbrough said.

Haring Township has secured the land necessary to build its own plant. It has also completed preliminary engineering work so if township trustees want to go down that road, the groundwork is in place.

“Everything is in place to move forward,” Scarbrough said. “It’s irresponsible not to make sure we’ve done everything else.”

But from a financial aspect, Scarbrough said having two plants within a mile of each other might not be the best use of public dollars.

Though talks are early, the city’s concern over equity-in-taxation is still a main sticking point, Stalker said.

One option to balance the tax issue is through a 425 agreement, which could transfer boundaries from the township to the city. Before the transfer is complete taxes are shared between the city and township for a predetermined amount of time.

Baker College, which requested a 425 agreement to allow it to get sewer and water service from the city, remains in the middle of the discussion.

“If we come to an agreement versus another plant, it’s the best use of resources,” Stalker said. “It has to be a win-win, because if it’s not, someone will want out of the relationship.”

Stalker and Scarbrough said they’d like to have something concrete in place by June 2008. Stalker said the discussion with Haring Township can be turned into a template for discussions with other townships who have sewer agreements with the city.

In the end, the Cadillac City Council and Haring Township Board of Trustees will have to approve the agreement.

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