Barry Street residents sign petition to oppose SAD. Christina Lewis | Collegian

The Hillsdale City Council rejected a petition last week from Barry Street homeowners to opt out of the city‘s road repair program because they submitted a single document rather than a set of individual letters. 

The City of Hillsdale uses SADs to fund road repairs by requiring homeowners on the designated street to pay up to $5,000 for the construction unless more than half of the residents on the street ask to opt out. One Barry Street homeowner, Timothy Polelle ‘19, gathered signatures from a majority of his neighbors, but the city council said each resident must submit their own letter to make the rejection valid.

Since the petition was considered invalid, a majority of Barry Street residents would need to write individual letters to reject the proposal before  the city council‘s March 3 public hearing on the Barry Street SAD. Even if enough residents  write in opposition, the council can still override the rejection with a 7-1 vote.

Acting Mayor Joshua Paladino said the city’s charter does not allow for a group petition.

“The charter says the owners ‘shall object in writing,’ and city staff is interpreting that to mean that homeowners must send individual letters objecting to the assessment,” Paladino told The Collegian last week. “A petition, in their view, doesn’t meet the charter’s objection for a valid objection.”

Paladino said only property owners, not tenants, can object to the proposal in writing or in person.

“So if anyone from Barry Street is listening, the petition is not valid,” Paladino said at the Feb. 17 City Council meeting.

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