Ferndale CN Railroad Annual Invoice Explanation

We have a ~9k invoice from CN Railroad for signal maintenance on tonight's consent agenda, so it's a great time to provide insight on WHY this is something we pay yearly.

Agenda item: Approval to Pay CN Grand Trunk Western $9,310.00 for Railroad Crossing Signal Maintenance, Expense to be Charged to Major Streets Fund, Traffic Services, Account Number 202-476-775, as submitted by DPW Deputy Director

https://d2kbkoa27fdvtw.cloudfront.net/.../0c6418079876328...

Invoice: https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/.../CN...

By state law, unless otherwise agreed upon, the cost of active warning device maintenance is split 50/50 between the railroad and the agency with jurisdiction over the road (in this case, Ferndale). Cost are standardized and paid annually. You'll notice that the costs on the invoice match the state table of expected costs for the different kinds of warning systems that are used: https://www.michigan.gov/.../0,4616,7-151-22444_56486...

Maintenance of railroad crossings is absolutely essential, and this is a normal, expected expense. For someone new to council, as I am, it helped to have this insight on this agenda item.