KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Kalamazoo city commissioners have unanimously approved water and sewer rate hikes again, and are urging residents who may not be able to afford overdue bills to seek help.
The 6% water rate hike and the 12% sewer rate increase will take effect in just a couple of weeks.
More importantly, beginning with the new year, the moratorium on water service cutoffs will end, hitting those with delinquent bills right in the wallet.
Public Services Director James Baker says they have made arrangements for eligible residents to seek assistance, whether it be a payment plan or funding assistance from the Community Action Agency.
Postcards detailing the assistance program have been sent to every household on the system.
Commissioner Stephanie Hoffman says she is still concerned about the impact it will have on the poor.
But she voted for the increases.
Commissioner Chris Preadel says it may be a hardship for some, but he is convinced its absolutely essential for the community’s health into the future.
The moratorium on service cutoffs was part of the city’s effort to help when COVID-19 struck, but Baker says continuing them is no longer financially sustainable.
The hikes will cost the average city customer about $5 more per month and township users about $6 more.
“The moratorium on service cutoffs was part of the city’s effort to help when COVID-19 struck, but Baker says continuing them is no longer financially sustainable.”
Interesting quote. Would agree that it is no longer(never) sustainable but credit is not given where credit is due. The moratorium on water shutoffs from the city was something the city implemented but it wasn’t on their dime. When bills didn’t get paid, water didn’t get shut off, and bills got bigger and bigger. The city then took it upon themselves to insert those bills into property owners taxes as a lien. Many times, those bills were completely unknown to property owners until a monster tax bill appeared. City staff responses to property owners and water customers varied from “we have a poverty problem you know” to, “don’t worry about paying, it won’t be shut off”. City dug up a nearly hundred year old, obscure public act that they used to justify their theft from unwittingly property owners. There was no limit to property owners liability, the city just let the bills run and property owners eat those bills.
As a long standing responsible landlord and service provider… It was a surprising display of government overreach…. Done in the name of covid, when covid stimulus dollars were being squandered on every pet project and cause that could be dreamed up, but water for health and sanitation of Kalamazoo subjects was deemed a property owners responsibility, not the water departments actual customer/user.
As for water/sewer bill increases, they are not quite double of what they were a few short years ago but they are getting close. Improvements need to be done, understood. Would question how funds are being used though, when city of Kalamazoo was doing there was a lot of repeat work(one summer, in one neighborhood there 3 of 4 houses that got new water lines and had to be redone within a few weeks from water leaks at the street coming through pavement). Sloppy workmanship was a hallmark, pieces of lead pipe left in yards, trashed basements and foundations and yards, and arrogant staff “management” . Damage claims were sent to some 3rd party and months to resolve, and at least one case not at all leaving the property owner a mess clean up and significant repairs to do.
It appears that a contractor is now doing this work, but the circus continues with them. They left one customers home unlocked and doors open, lights on etc on a Friday night. The “patches” left in the roads left from their work are atrocious, vehicle damaging speed bumps.
Kalamazoo needs to do better. Citizens need to expect more. We don’t need our driving lanes cut in half for bike lanes and bus parking, or messages written on roadways. We don’t need to relax laws about public littering/defecation, drug use. We need basic infrastructure met. We need laws enforced. We need drug trafficking and the criminal activity stopped. And we need not be afraid to show criminals that can’t comply a jail cell or the door and not come back.