KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Citizens in Kalamazoo will see an increase on their water bills after a proposal for increased water utilities was passed by city officials Monday night.
Kalamazoo citizens living inside the city will see an increase of around $4-5 a month for water and wastewater utilities, or around $50-60 a year.
Homes that sit outside the city boundaries but are still on their utility system will see a smaller increase at around $3 a month, or around $30-40 a year. The numbers for both rates are based on estimates.
During the meeting, Public Services Director James Baker was called to speak on any economic hardship programs available for vulnerable citizens.
“Right now, we don’t have a program in place that is congruent with state law in terms of that,” Baker said. “There are other programs to get to what you’re discussing, and we have been researching some of those.”
Baker added saying, “Rate payers, pay for what they use, so essentially for us to take funds from those dollars and to smooth things over if you will, essentially that’s an illegal act.”
He provided some tips to keeping a water utility bill low.
“First, look at leaks, and look at their usage,” Baker said. “One of the biggest culprit for leaks is the toilet, and that happen without you seeing it or understanding that it’s happened. One of the things that we tell customers to do is add a drop of, say, blue or yellow food coloring into the back tank, and that you should not see anything in the bowl below. That can be ‘dollars down the drain,’ if you will, because it’s happening silent, folks don’t understand that’s going on.”
Baker also recommends using “low-flow fixtures” to help reduce rates.
Anyone who is suspicious of leaks can contact Kalamazoo Public Services for help.
“We are not responsible for leaks inside the home, let me clear with that,” Baker said. “But we can talk to citizens and help guide them.”
Additionally, Baker provided some insight into how the funds generated from the increase would be used, especially in relation to clean drinking water.
“Two big projects this year [include] Cork Street and Oakland Drive,” Baker said. “We’re replacing cast iron water main that has a history of main breaks, we’re digging the road up, so those are two major projects in the city.”
Other projects funded with the fund include lead service replacement, addressing issues surrounding PFAS, and treatment enhancements at the water plants.
“We’re essentially automating the hydraulics and chemical feed systems at those treatment plants,” Baker said. “It’s work that covers a lot of areas both in-city and out-city, and it’s a lot of work that’s gonna help address immediate concerns that the community has had, or is having in terms of PFAS, lead, and water quality.”
Baker made note that the new utility increase is based on similar rates in comparatively-sized cities.
“Generally, we’re comparing to Michigan municipalities that are generally at or above 50,000,” Baker said. “There is no exact same comparison to Kalamazoo, but we’re trying to make those comparisons to other larger utilities. Kalamazoo is always toward the lower-end of that spectrum.”
One Kalamazoo citizen raised the question of whether or not downtown-area businesses were getting a subsidized rate on water utilities, citing a change.org petition as his source.
Baker was quick to dispel any notions of subsidized rates, saying that the only two “classes” of customers are in-city and out-city.
“There is no group that has been given a special rate or subsidy,” Baker said. “Essentially, there’s no customer that’s getting a break. Everybody was analyzed, and all customer classes are receiving essentially the same increase of cost.”
Ultimately, both the water and wastewater increases were passed in a commissioner vote.
