125 new homes predicted to raise water rates
ALMONT — It appears the village will not approve an annexation request from a developer looking to access Almont’s utilities on Kidder Road.
At Almont Township’s January board meeting, an annexation request from Randy DePrez was discussed. He expressed an interest in purchasing the 70 acres across from Drakeshire to build new homes. To make his project possible, he made the request to annex this property to the village so the new builds can have access to water and sewer. DePrez
proposed a 125 new home subdivision in his plan, dependent on the annexation being approved. Since January,
the village and township have been in contact regarding the annexation process. Both municipalities would have to agree to the annexation in order for it to be approved.
The village began exploring any potential impact the proposed new builds would have on the current residents, if the annexation were to be approved.
At the Almont Village Council meeting on March 16, Interim Village Manger Ian Kempf presented the results from a water study conducted by the village’s water provider, Great Lakes Water Authority. If the homes proposed were to be built, the village would see an estimated increase of $69,400 in water costs.
According to Kempf, current residents would likely see an estimated 2% increase in their household water costs. Kempf expressed that these costs do not take into consideration any upgrades that will most likely need to be made to the infrastructure at the Waste Water Treatment Plant.
After some discussion, the council decided that unless new information comes forward, they will not be pursuing the annexation at this time.
