Maintenance And Improvement Procedures
Q - How does a drain maintenance project begin?
A - Prior to a Drainage District performing maintenance or improvement on a county drain,
the Drainage District must first receive a Petition for the work from either a specific
number of landowners in the District or from any city, village or township lying
within the Drainage District boundaries.
Q - What happens after a Petition is
filed?
A - Once a Petition is filed, a Board of Determination is then appointed. The Board
is made up of three disinterested Wayne County property owners. A public hearing
is then held after notice by publication and by first class mail to all property
owners and municipalities in the drainage district. The public hearing is held in
a public building in the District, and the Board of Determination hearing follows
the requirements of the Open Meetings Act.
A District Map may be provided at the meeting to assist property owners in determining
where their property is located within the District, and property owners or citizen
groups may submit position letters in advance that will be read into the record
of the hearing. Interested parties will be given the opportunity to comment at the
hearing.
Q - What does the Board of Determination
decide?
A - The Board of Determination’s job is only to decide whether maintenance and improvement
of the drain is necessary and conducive for public health, convenience or welfare.
The Board does not consider the cost or scope of the project. The Board may also
order that lands not in the existing District be added to the District.
Q - What if a property owner or municipality
disagrees with the Board of Determination’s decision?
A - Once the Board of Determination makes its Order of Necessity or No Necessity,
any owner of property or municipality within the District may appeal that decision
in the Wayne County Circuit Court within 10 days of the decision.
Q - If a Board of Determination enters
an Order of Necessity, then what happens next?
A - The next step in the process would be for the Wayne County Department of Environment
and its project engineer to determine how to proceed with the project. The engineer
prepares detailed plans; and, with the Department of Environment, determines an
estimated computation of cost for the project, as well as whether additional right
of way is required.
The computation of cost is available for inspection by the public.
Once the necessary rights of way are secured and the estimate of cost is finalized,
then the construction contract documents are prepared and let out for public bid.
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Q - How does the Drainage District
pay for the cost of the drain project?
A - The Wayne County Department of Public Services is responsible for determining how
the cost of the drain improvements is to be paid by fixing the number of installments
for the collection of drain assessments and by apportioning (dividing) the percent
of the cost among the municipalities (cities, villages, townships, county, MDOT)
and district property owners. All apportionments are determined based on the principle
of benefits received. The Wayne County Department of Public Services may decide to finance
the cost of the improvements through the issuance of notes or bonds.
Q - How does a property owner find
out about his/her Apportionment/Assessment?
A - Property owners are provided notice both by publication and by first class mail
of a Day of Review of Apportionments. (Municipalities are provided notice of their
at large apportionment by personal service.) The notice will contain a date for
the Day of Review, which is a day when interested persons may appear and meet with
the Wayne County Department of Public Services staff to review their apportionment and
discuss any adjustments believed to be necessary.
Q - What if a property owner or municipality
disagrees with their apportionment?
A - Any person or municipality may appeal their apportionment to the Wayne County
Probate Court within 10 days from the day of review.
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Department Organizations...
Kerreen Conley 
Division Director, Deputy Drain Commissioner
Phone : (313) 224-7679
Firooz Fath-Azam
Downriver Wastewater Treatment Plant
Phone : (734) 285-5246
Andrew Keller
County Drain Maintenance & Records
Phone : (734) 326-4500
Ancell Noel
Pump Station, CSO Basin and County
Sanitary Sewer Interceptor Maintenance
Phone : (734) 285-9355
Sabu Varghese
Industrial Pre-Treatment Program
Phone : (734) 285-7232
24 Hour Environmental Hotline
Ph: 888-223-2363