Good News for the suburbs. According to the Detroit News, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing announced Friday that regional leaders came to an agreement that will change control of the Detroit Water and Sewage Department giving partial control to representatives from the suburbs.
A seven member board will be created with three members from the suburbs. Unlike the current arrangement, the new board will set water rates and have veto power. Detroit will retain ownership, control and management of the department.
Bing said, "This provides us with the framework upon which we can build to restore within our public, transparency and quality customer service."
The new board is to be appointed by April 1. A representative will be chosen by Bing from a pool of suggested individuals from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. The individuals are to be professionals with at least seven years of experience in a utility, engineering, finance or law.
Major decisions of the board such as rates and a five year capital improvement plan will require five votes to pass.
This will give the suburbs a voice at the table and should allow for more scrutiny over how the department handles its business and operations. The suburbs have been calling for more input for years. Their calls became much louder and more intense with lawsuits and attempts of legislative action after the FBI accused the former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Ex-Detroit Water Director Victor Mercado and others of corruption.
According to the Detroit Free Press, this is largest public corruption case ever in the city of Detroit. This is all good news to the suburbs who having been facing increasing water rates and have had no input to how the department has been run.
For the City of Rochester Hills, it makes more sense than ever not to spend nearly $20 million on two water reservoirs with hope that they may save on water rates. How the rates will be calculated will remain to be seen.
It depends on how you set up the facility. They need to ensure it's done of highest quality.
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