Residents press Mount Clemens on chronic flooding and tax increases; city clarifies $65 million county bonding does not fund city projects

Public comment at the July 20 Mount Clemens meeting focused on chronic basement flooding, deteriorating sidewalks and surprise property‑tax increases, with residents asking what funding and timelines are available to fix infrastructure.

A resident who identified herself as Loretta described repeated basement flooding at 14 Gratiot Court and said her property tax rose about $231 for 2015. She asked, “Will this money … be used to fix these problems?” and referenced a reported $65,000,000 county bond that she said would help the city.

The chair interjected to correct the record: the City of Mount Clemens did not receive $65,000,000 from Macomb County. City Manager Brown later reiterated that the $65 million is a county bonding program for county facilities and that those funds are not distributed as direct cash to the city.

Brown told the commission and residents the administration is pursuing federal and state grant opportunities for sewer evaluation and separation work and specifically mentioned pursuing a SAW (Stormwater, Asset Management and Wastewater) grant in 2016 to evaluate combined‑sewer areas. Brown cautioned that separating sewers and resolving neighborhood flooding are typically “multi‑$100,000” or multimillion‑dollar projects and that available Charter amendment revenues and budgeted capital allocations will be used to prioritize the city’s biggest needs.

Other public speakers raised sidewalk safety and private property concerns: Shelley Emerson and neighbors described severely damaged sidewalks on Sheridan and Church streets and asked the city to pursue remedies that preserve long‑time residents and avoid unnecessarily forcing out owners. Another commenter described a property owner’s high block wall that a neighbor finds intrusive and asked staff to seek a wrought‑iron fence and a resolution rather than immediate punitive action.

City staff said the FY2015‑16 budget includes a $50,000 sidewalk program to begin work this summer, and staff provided a DPS contact number for garbage‑placement complaints and neighborhood follow‑up. The administration said it will continue to triage requests, pursue external grants for major sewer work and use limited capital to address the highest‑priority infrastructure problems.

The commission did not adopt any new funding at the meeting; staff were asked to follow up with residents on individual cases and return with more detailed plans where appropriate.