Belleville City Council hikes fixed water rate, reduces commodity rate

Water rates are going up and down in the city of Belleville following action at the June 15 regular meeting of the city council.
Councilwoman Kim Tindall asked the council to buy an ad in the Independent to explain the rate changes to water users in the city. Rates change July 1.
She also wants the city to explain in the advertisement the new $2.58 monthly assessment the council approved to levy on utility customers to pay for the sewer rehabilitation program loan.
Councilwoman Tindall said when she saw that the fixed water rate went up by three times, from $4.50 a month to $13.80, she was worried the residents wouldn’t understand.
City Manager Diana Kollmeyer said the $13.80 is what the city is being charged by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department and it’s just passed along to the consumer.
Mayor Kerreen Conley recalled when the city had a 50% increase in water rates and that was a tough time. She said this 10.2% raise at one time would be easier.
The council also approved a decrease in the water commodity rate from $.00721 to $.00613 per gallon, also effective July 1.
DPW Director Keith Tackett said the drop in the commodity rate would be a big change for low water users and a “wash” for high water users.
But the whole rate picture is confusing, so Tindall asked the city to actually take out an ad in the newspaper and make it as detailed as possible “to educate our residents.”
Clerk/Treasurer Lisa Long said it would take some time to get it put together.
In other business at the June 15 meeting, the council:
• Opened bids for the Joint and Crack Sealing program for city streets from Michigan Joint Sealing for $61,098 and Scodeller Construction of Wixom for $90,708. The bids were turned over to the administration and engineers for a recommendation;
• Opened the only bid for municipal accounting services from Plante Moran (the city’s current consultant) for $6,478, a 2.5% increase over what they are charging now. The bid was turned over to the administration for study and a recommendation;
• Approved the low $423,043.75 bid of Liquiforce Services of Romulus for the sanitary sewer rehabilitation program under the 2015 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) Loan, with start of construction in September. Hennessey Engineers construction inspection and administration fees totaled a sum not to exceed $40,140;
• Approved budget amendments by Plante Moran for the fiscal year ending June 30. Tindall and Mayor Conley criticized the timing of the amendments, saying amending should be done at least quarterly, and that the council likes to see line items and detailed information on the changes instead of just categories. Also, the council would like departments to stay within their line items when spending. Tindall was especially critical of Fire Chief Brian Loranger’s purchase of embroidered $53 polo shirts for nine fire fighters to wear when on duty at Strawberry Festival. (Embroidery bill was $483.82.) Chief Loranger said he likes his people to look good and not like “Podunk USA.” Tindall said he could have used the money to buy tires or other equipment the fire department needs. “I’m doing this job the best that I can,” Loranger said, noting he really didn’t want the job of chief, but said he would serve if he was needed. He said he has run a business in the city for 30 years. Later he said he would pay for the shirts himself if the city didn’t want to pay for them;
• Approved raising the following fees: Building Department application fee from $35 to $50; stating the current Water Department permit fee total (tap plus benefit fee) of $3,500; Police Department removal of fingerprinting-state item since it does not have the equipment to do this kind of fingerprinting; and Treasurer’s Office to increase the returned check fee from $30 to $35;
• Approved holding the 20th-annual Belleville Bridgewalk at 5:30 p.m., Aug. 20, in conjunction with the Central Business Community’s Taste of Belleville. World War II Veterans will be honored at this year’s Bridgewalk;
• Approved accounts payable of $109,304.81 and departmental purchases in excess of $500, with Tindall voting no because of the $483.82 embroidery bill from A Design Line for the fire department shirts that she unsuccessfully tried to remove from the accounts payable. The amounts approved over $500 were: to J&T Towing, vehicle sales, $2,100 from General Fund/Police; to Concentra, for physicals, $3,360 from General Fund/Fire; to Emergency Report for report software, $999, from General Fund/Fire; to Wise Technologies, for computer repairs, $705.73, from General Fund; to BelleRoc Tire for rear tires-backhoe, $1,090, from Major/Local Street Fund and Water Fund; to Hennessey Engineers, $9,615 for inspection and engineering fees for the DTE project on the east end of the city; and to Cadillac Asphalt, for spring road repairs, $513.30, from Major/Local Street Funds;
• Removed from the agenda action on the Downriver Joint Management Committee and DUWA because documents have yet to arrive;
• Heard Mayor Conley report on last Friday’s Council of Western Wayne meeting where a representative of Oakland County explained how they have texted 911 calls. She said texted 911 calls are expected in this area in about a year;
• Heard two residents of East Huron River Drive discuss their frustrations with the ditches dug during the county roadwork; and
• Went into closed-door session to discuss pending union negotiations.