PRIVATE ROAD MAINTENANCE/IMPROVEMENT S.B. 896 (S-1):
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 896 (Substitute S-1 as reported)
Sponsor: Senator Kevin Hertel
Committee: Local Government
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Home Rule City Act to allow the legislative body of a city to contract
for the maintenance or improvement of any private road in the city by creating a special
assessment district. The bill also would allow a majority of property owners that owned
frontage along a private road to petition a legislative body of a city to create such a special
assessment district.
Proposed MCL 117.5l
BRIEF RATIONALE
Special assessment districts allow local governments to levy taxes in designated areas for
specific services. Under current statute, cities do not have the ability to create a special
assessment district to finance the maintenance of private roads. The ability to form a special
assessment district is important because a private road’s residents often cannot pay for the
upkeep or improvement of the road themselves. Therefore, the bill should be passed to allow
cities to adopt a financing mechanism to improve the quality of private roads.
Legislative Analyst: Alex Krabill
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on the State. The bill could have a minor negative fiscal
impact on local units of government based on the requirement to hold public hearings. These
costs could come in the form of mileage reimbursements or overhead costs of holding a public
hearing.
Date Completed: 10-9-24 Fiscal Analyst: Bobby Canell
floor\sb896 Bill Analysis @ www.senate.michigan.gov/sfa
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not
constitute an official statement of legislative intent.


Statutes affected:
Substitute (S-1): 117.1, 117.38
Senate Introduced Bill: 117.1, 117.38