Belleville to raise water rates in line with GLWA increase

As of July 1, the Great Lakes Water Authority price for water to the city of Belleville will go up 2.09% and on June 7 the Belleville City Council voted unanimously to pass that rate increase on to water users in the city.
DPW Director Rick Rutherford said currently the city charges $6.13 per unit – which is 1,000 gallons. The increase of 13 cents per unit will make the new city price $6.26 per unit.
He said earlier the city thought it might be a 3.14% raise and they were relieved it was less. He said the cost increase will be for water only, not sewer or trash.
Councilman Tom Fielder said he remembers in 2008 or 2009, the city waited eight years to increase the water rates and it was a disaster.
Councilman Fielder said the city is delivering drinking water to residents’ front doors for the cost of five water bottles. He noted one-quarter of the residents in the community don’t pay property taxes.
“This happened in the past and the city chose not to pass on the cost and it hurt people dearly later,” said Fire Chief Brian Loranger.
Councilman Ken Voigt said he agrees with passing it on, but he would like to see an estimate of what water system repairs need to be done in the next 10 to 15 years. He said the city has a healthy fund balance in the water account, but they don’t know what will need to be replaced.
Councilman Voigt asked if the city will get a sewage treatment increase this year.
Rutherford said the Downriver Utility Wastewater Authority is in the process of doing “rate methodology” right now and it probably will increase. He said everything goes up eventually.
Rutherford said DUWA now charges on excess flow and they are trying to work out a way to charge those that have excess. He said Belleville has done its diligence for upgrades and needs to be credited for that.
Mayor Kerreen Conley said the DUWA took the treatment facility over from the county and there was a deal that members wouldn’t get an increase for several years.
Fire Chief Loranger asked how much fund balance was eaten into by the past large increase in rates referred to and Mayor Conley said there wasn’t a fund balance.
“The increase was 50%,” said Mayor Conley. “It was huge.” She said there has been a conscious effort to maintain a fund balance.
Voigt said he wants to know what the potential water maintenance is going to be in the future before starting to build a bigger fund balance. He said they should know what the costs will be, even though some grant money is coming. He would like to know what will need replacing in the next 10-15 years.
Rutherford said it’s pretty tough to predict what’s going to need replacement in a water system because it’s a sealed system, not like the sewer system where you can put cameras in to see.
Voigt said he would like to have engineers make a rough idea of how much it would take to replace those failing pipes on Huron River Drive and on Edgemont and estimates for the next 10-15 years.
“The rate increase of 2.09%, that’s real,” said Rutherford. “It will happen on July 1 and it has nothing to do with the fund balance.”
“It only affects the fund balance if you don’t pass it on,” said Mayor Conley.
Fielder said the council had almost committed to passing on the rate increases after the last experience. “These systems constantly fail,” he said of the water pipes.
Voigt said he didn’t think the council should hold off on passing on the increase because he doesn’t want to end up in the situation they had 5-10 years ago with a 50% increase.
In other business at the June 7 meeting, the council:
• Held an eight-minute public hearing on the budget and then adopted the 2021-22 General Fund Budget of $2,709.841. The DDA’s new budget of $835,445 was approved along with the city budget;
• Approved the property tax levy of 16.2 mills, which incorporates the Headlee rollback;
• Approved giving the city authority to add electrical power on High Street by whatever means most efficient, as requested by Steve Jones representing the Belleville Area Council for the Arts. Jones wanted the power for the Music Lakeside stage that in the past has been connected to the power box at the Veterans Memorial by a long extension cord. He said BACA would cover the cost. Mayor Conley asked that they also have the electrical contractor look at how much it would cost to get power to Fourth Street Place. Rutherford said that option was explored by the DDA who found it to be too expensive. There is an underground conduit, but no lines and no place for the cabinet, he said, adding that he worked with the DDA on that;
• Approved the Central Business Community’s Taste of Belleville 6-8 p.m. on Aug. 19. The city’s Bridge Walk will begin at 5:30 p.m. The Taste of Belleville will be on High Street and in Horizon Park. The Music Lakeside concert will begin at 7 p.m.;
• Appointed Councilwoman Kelly Bates as chairperson of the City of Belleville 75th Anniversary celebration, with the help of Councilman Fielder. The item was put on the agenda by Councilman Voigt who said Belleville became a village in 1905 and a city in 1946. He said it also is the 75th anniversary of the police department. There were constables until the department was formed in 1946. The celebration could take place at the Taste of Belleville or on the first Wednesday Food Truck Rally in September;
• Approved extending the Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) hours for the Belleville Lake Fest, June 25-27, to 3 p.m. to midnight on Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, as requested by City Manager / Police Chief Dave Robinson;
• Approved accounts payable of $153,380.15 and the following departmental expenditures in excess of $500: B&R Janitorial, $1,027 for cleaning supplies, from the DPW and DDA budgets; Western Wayne County, $3,638.56 for fire mutual aid; and Dell, $2,333.79 and $2,333.79, for vehicle upfitting for police department;
• Heard City Manager/Police Chief Robinson report that the grass-cutting contractor will cut the parks every Wednesday. They had a crew problem earlier but now they have two full crews. He also reported he has extended a conditional offer to one of the applicants for administrative assistant and currently is doing a background check. If all works out the new assistant should be on the next agenda, June 21, and on the job July 5. Robinson also said he will also have different resolutions for all the federal money the city is getting; and
• Heard Councilman Voigt report that the Belleville Bass outdoor sculptures have arrived and are out to artists for decorating. He said he hopes to have a few installed before Lake Fest. There are also two sculptures owned by BACA that will be installed, he said.