From Swartz Creek officials’ refusal to sell land for the megasite to Durand’s withdrawal from the SEDP, officials and residents in Shiawassee County are fighting back against the MEDC’s plans for EV battery megasite
Shiawassee County, MI; August 28th, 2023–Local Shiawassee public officials are sending clear messages about both the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC)’s proposed Factorial Energies EV battery megasite near Durand and the breach of trust the project has caused with its local Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership (SEDP).
In July, Swartz Creek’s City Council voted not to sell a parcel of city-owned land within the MEDC’s proposed megasite to the SEDP for the project. “Public sentiment seems against the mega sites,” Councilman Nathan Henry said during the meeting. “I’m not comfortable committing this council or a future council to selling property to a user we might not want six miles upwind,” said City Manager Adam Zettel. Councilman John Knickerbocker emphasized the opacity of the project: “we are not going to commit our constituents to something in which we have no knowledge of what the buyer would be,” he said.
Earlier this month, the City Council voted unanimously to withdraw itself from the SEDP entirely, citing lack of trust over NDAs signed by two members of the SEDP–and over the project’s lack of transparency. “It doesn’t matter what kind of agreement you made with the MEDC,” said Mayor Jeff Brands during the meeting. “It doesn’t mean jack. Us sitting behind this desk and those sitting behind the desk at the township make the final decision, and we got kicked out of a meeting in our own building.”
The City’s withdrawal removes $10,000 per year of local taxpayer funding from the SEDP’s books.
Locals have lauded the decision, and Durand City Council’s pushback against the MEDC’s fast-and-loose hard sales tactics. “We are very grateful that the city leaders in Durand recognized that this project was not a fit for our county,” says Shelly Ochodnicky, a resident, business owner, and a nonprofit director in Shiawassee County. “There are many variables to consider, and so much is unknown about this project.” Ochodnicky expresses concern over maintaining the rural farming character of the community, environmental contamination and supply chain implications, and Chinese ownership connections. “We do not believe this project is off the table quite yet,” she emphasized, stating there would be pushback to move the project forward.
Yet if swelling resident turnout at Vernon Township monthly meetings is any indicator, the MEDC, the SEDP, Factorial Energies, and other proponents of the project are facing an uphill battle. Supervisor Bert DeClerg, who has expressed that the megasite’s arrival would be a “best case scenario” for the community, watched his town hall swell with residents of Vernon and neighboring townships who were there to say NO to the megasite.
“These moves by Durand and Swartz Creek city officials are highly encouraging,” says Marjorie Steele, founder and CEO of the Economic Development Responsibility Alliance of Michigan (EDRA of MI). “Not because it’s impeding progress, but because it’s demanding the kind of basic due diligence and transparency which we should expect from developers–including the SEDP, who are operating in part on the taxpayer’s dime.
We as an organization encourage townships and cities across the state to withdraw from their local economic development corporations. This is a great way to cut off both critical revenue sources and public endorsement to these public-private organizations who are playing with taxpayer dollars like they’re chips at a casino.”
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