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State takes notice of Calumet blight

CALUMET – State officials in Lansing are starting to get wind of the village’s old buildings and the potential safety hazards they pose.

The Village Board has been working to develop a blight ordinance. On Tuesday, state Rep. Scott Dianda, D-Calumet, joined in the discussion with Jim Tercha, the village’s attorney.

Dianda said the issue of blight in Calumet has reached his office downstate.

“I’m getting calls in Lansing about these dangerous buildings,” he said. “I just wanted to find out about that.”

Dianda said he understands there is a cost to the village to address blight and dangerous buildings, but he thinks there might be a liability for the village for injury or damage caused by the collapse of a dangerous building.

“I’m getting pressure to get the fire marshal to come here and tear these down,” he said.

Tercha said the village has no liability for dangerous buildings, and it’s wrong for the state to get involved with the issue of demolition of dangerous buildings.

“You can’t make us spend money we don’t have,” he said.

The state shares in part of the blame, he said. The Legislature for years has been cutting funding for infrastructure in the state and cutting revenue sharing to communities, Tercha said.

“We don’t have real property taxes like we used to,” he said. “What we need is a rethinking of how we spend our money in Michigan.”

Dianda said he agreed that communities needed to start getting adequate revenue sharing from the state again.

“We want to be sure they have the revenue sharing,” he said.

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