Holcim to pay township for hauling stone
Dundee Township Board members have approved an agreement with Holcim (US) Inc. requiring the company to pay the township for materials it removes from its quarry and trucks elsewhere.

There was a previous agreement requiring the company to pay compensation to Dundee, Milan and London based on a percentage of what the company trucked out of its quarries. This works out to about 1.5% of the price per ton charged by Holcim.

Also in that agreement, the company had the option of declaring the agreement null and void with 90 days notice by Holcim.
That didn’t offer much security to the townships. A new agreement hammered out between the townships and the cement company, requires Holcim to offer the compensation for five years, and then at the end of the five years, it reverts to the 90-day notice of cancellation.

“The original agreement started in 1991, but for many years, the company did not truck out any materials. When it came to our attention that they were trucking again, we told them that they need to honor the agreement they have with us,” said Dundee Township Supervisor Joanna Uhl at the Tuesday, July 13 board meeting.

Mrs. Uhl said the other two townships were satisfied with the new agreement.

“Holcim will calculate what they owe and pay us up to this date,” said Mrs. Uhl. “After the ‘catch-up’ checks, it will probably average $8,000 to $10,000 per year per township.”

Building Inspector Ed Baranowski said he thinks the company has been trucking material out for the past four years without paying the township, so the “catch-up” check should be substantial.

“In five years, when this agreement expires, we may need to look at it again,” said Trustee Marilyn Larson, who wondered how this agreement compared to similar agreements between companies which operate quarries and their townships.

In other business, township board members approved a resolution allowing a resident to obtain municipal water from Raisinville Township, if permission is given by the Village of Dundee and City of Monroe. The man’s house is adjacent to Raisinville Township and the water line stops at his property line.

“We are aware of an agreement between the Village and the City of Monroe prohibiting the sale of water west of Nieman Road,” said Mrs. Uhl. “It does not sound very promising, but we didn’t want to stand in his way. I suggested he get a Plan B.”

Dundee Sportsman’s Club had applied for a liquor and entertainment license. Before it could be approved by the township, the club amended the application to include an outdoor area and more hours. The township said it needed more time to investigate the situation before considering approval.