Ex-Commissioner Virginia Hutter Asks City Action on High Water-Sewer Rates

City-County Authority Sought in Plea to Commissioners, Mayor, Manager

October 31, 2010
By: Dave Rogers

High water and sewer rates have galvanized former City Commissioner Virginia Hutter into action.

Mrs. Hutter asked the commission Oct. 25 to "establish a formal work group of city and county elected and appointed officials to review the issue of high water and sewer rates paid by city residents."

Meanwhile, the latest available audit of city proprietary funds, as of June 2009, showed the water and sewer funds with a combined $14.2 million in cash on hand. The water fund had $8.8 million while the sewer fund had $5.4 million.

In a "problem statement" to the city, Mrs. Hutter said: "Rate increases for water and sewer service in the city of Bay City are causing significant financial stress on the residents of the city, particularly retirees, the under-employed and unemployed, and others on fixed incomes."

Mrs. Hutter said the meeting at which she presented her proposal ran over four hours and she could not stay for the public comment portion.

She has received no response to her statement but is contacting Mayor Charles Brunner and City Manager Robert V. Belleman for a meeting to pursue the issue.

"Coupled with high property tax rates, these high water and sewer rates also adversely affect the local residential real estate market by making the total cost of home ownership much higher in the city than in the surrounding townships," she said, concluding:

"High water and sewer rates in the city also adversely affect the profitability of existing local business and also act as a deterrent for business expansion and attraction efforts."

Mrs. Hutter's statistics showed city residents paying 42.3 percent more for water over the rates paid by township residents, 189.8 percent more than townships on sewer charges, for a total average of 136.3 percent.

Mrs. Hutter's proposal calls for the formal work group to report back in 90 days with specific recommendations to address the issue.

She suggests a water-sewer authority that will not adversely affect township rates.

"Some city officials have told me it can't be done, but I truly believe it can be done," she said. "I don't want to see the city become another Saginaw or Flint."

The commission meets Monday night to act on requests by Dr. Steven Ingersoll to establish brownfield redevelopment plans for Madison Arts, LLC, 400 N. Madison Ave., Wolverine Arts, 114 N. Jackson St., Oddfellows Redevelopment Project, 1900 Broadway, and Swarts Tower LLC, 108-116 S. Linn St.

Dr. Ingersoll has projected plans for an investment in excess of $9 million on various city redevelopment projects. The projects include charter schools, residential living units for artists, revitalized business blocks and buildings and historical multiple family and single family home redevelopments. ###