Commuter train project delay causes Washtenaw officials to question worth of investment in SEMCOG

From AnnArbor.com

Washtenaw County commissioners are questioning the worth of the county’s $125,000 annual investment in SEMCOG after running into delays with the Ann Arbor-to-Detroit commuter train project.

At an administrative briefing Wednesday, commissioners questioned whether the county should continue paying the annual membership fee to the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments.

“Their failure to bring the demonstration project to fruition is sort of a punctuation mark on a number of frustrations that people have had locally about SEMCOG,” said Jeff Irwin, D-11th District, calling the organization’s failure to deliver the project on time a “colossal failure.”

“Their failure to follow through on those promises certainly leave me scratching my head again,” he said. “What is it that we gain from being part of this regional conversation and sending our dollars to promote that organization and their regional planning efforts if the planning that they’re doing doesn’t serve the interests of our citizens or the broader region in general?”