Deldin said soil erosion permits were obtained from the city of Sterling Heights and the Macomb County Public Works Commissioner’s Office, but officials were unaware that an additional permit should have been secured from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

“We have found out since all of this came out, we thought the contractor was following the proper process,” Deldin said. “If we had to do it over now, we would know who had jurisdiction over the property.”

Warren Mayor James Fouts, who called the public’s attention to the Freedom Hill controversy last week, said the absence of a state permit means the contractor illegally dumped about 150,000 yards of excavating dirt at Freedom Hill closed landfill.

“I am 100 percent right on this,” the mayor said. “The contractor had a phony permit from Sterling Heights but the work never should have been done. If Jim Fouts had not raised the question, it would still be going on.”