Detroit City Wire

The Michigan Senate has passed legislation sponsored by Senator Jonathan Lindsey to allow counties to receive grant funding for conducting surveys and placing monuments along the Michigan-Indiana border.

“The original border was last surveyed by Congress in the 1800s, prior to Michigan being recognized as a state,” said Lindsey, R-Coldwater. “Both Michigan and Indiana have been working on their respective duties to complete the survey, but unexpected issues have caused a delay in completing the work. My bill simply extends the timeline to get this done and will prevent decades of work from being reset and sent back to square one.”

The initial survey established clear markers that defined the boundary between Michigan and Indiana. Over time, many of these markers have disappeared, leading to confusion about the exact location of the border.

Unclear boundaries have led to legal disputes over property ownership, challenges in enforcing laws across jurisdictions, and complications regarding responsibilities related to Great Lakes preservation. Both states have attempted to clarify the border, but a formal agreement has not been fully established.

A law passed in 2022 set out Michigan’s role in resolving these issues and provided funding for a joint project with Indiana. However, difficulties in hiring surveying companies delayed progress.

Lindsey’s Senate Bill 595 would extend the deadline for completing the survey and change existing law so that individual counties could carry out their own surveys if it remains difficult to secure a company willing to handle the entire project.

“Counties are capable and ready to take this on, and we have the funding available that would allow them to do so,” Lindsey said. “This is a minor amendment of the initial effort that will help get this project across the finish line.”