Leaders look to reduce permit fees
HARSENS
ISLAND -- State, county and township officials plan to meet Monday --
and it might just keep Harry A. Mikolowski Sr. out of court.
State
Sen. Jud Gilbert, R-Algonac, and representatives from Clay Township and
the state Department of Environmental Quality are meeting at the St.
Clair County Department of Public Works to look at relaxing fees charged
for soil erosion and sedimentation permits.
The DEQ requires
the permit any time more than 225 square feet of dirt is moved within
500 feet of a body of water. That includes everything from building a
house to making a garden.
The state has the county public works
department administer the permits and allows the department to charge
fees and fines to recover costs.
Enter Mikolowski, who was
fixing the sea wall behind his house on Middle Channel Drive.
Mikolowski, 68, moved more than 225 square feet of dirt to ratchet the
wall back into place and reinforce it. When county officials found his
work, they fined him $500 for not getting a permit, then required him to
buy the $181 permit.
Because he's refused to pay the fines or
get the permit, he owes about $5,000 in penalties and interest, he said.
"It's one of the most idiotic things I've ever seen."
After learning of Mikolowski's fines, Pellerito called a meeting in April with county, state and federal representatives and the DEQ.
Since then, Gilbert has been trying to find ways to get rid of fees for average residents to do simple landscaping or home maintenance while ensuring water-quality standards are met.
"The state doesn't send along any money when it mandates this program," Gilbert said.
Donald Maronde, county public works managing director, wants to find a happy medium between maintaining water quality and resident frustration.
"We're not interested in generating revenue," he said.
Reprinted from: The Port Huron Times Herald
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