UPDATE: Need your GLWA customer comments at today's Board hearing on rate hikes

[Sylvia Orduño]

Friends, if you tuned in for today’s hearing, you saw several things take place: 

• GLWA expected many people to participate in public comments so the meeting was scheduled from 1-6pm. It ended shortly before 5pm.
• Over a dozen 20 residents from Flint attended in-person in Detroit to speak against the water and sewer rate increases. Many shared their ongoing financial and health problems from the lead poisoning crisis and their ongoing worries with tap water safety. They also spoke about the City of Flint's placement of overdue water bills as liens on property taxes.
• Several Detroit, Melvindale, and Allen Park residents shared personal stories and spoke against the rate increases too as families struggle to make ends meet with all household bills, including DTE rate hikes and higher food and housing costs.
• On Zoom, there were nearly 250 people viewing with about a quarter of them who raised their hands to speak. About another fourth of the Zoom participants were journalists, GLWA and DWSD employees, and non-Detroit city officials -- including Highland Park Mayor Glenda McDonald who spoke against the hikes and her city's experience with disproportionately higher costs they pay to GLWA.
• All speakers were opposed to the rate increases, pleaded with them to reconsider or postpone the vote, to hear what residents are experiencing, to have compassion, to look within GLWA where costs could be saved or cut, spoke about human rights and dignity, and appealed to a moral consciousness.
• In the end, the Board voted unanimously to vote for the rate increase because as "stewards" of the system they have a responsibility to ensure that water and sewer can be safely and properly conveyed. 
• They acknowledged that many customers expressed affordability problems but believe they've done much to keep down rates over the years.
• In my opinion, it was a self-righteous and condensing conclusion to the sacrifices in time, travel, and testimonials of impacted residential customers and allies. 

Today's GLWA experience was another example of why we will not get relief on affordable bills at the local or regional level. Our fight for statewide water affordability legislation is a MUST win yet, again, we're up against deniers and excusers in Lansing from both parties.

Lastly, World Water Day is approaching on March 22nd. This year it's on a Sunday but the Legal-Legislative Committee is proposing a week of action beginning March 16th. More information will be shared soon to ask for EVERYONE'S participation.

In solidarity and appreciation,
Sylvia

On Wed, Feb 25, 2026 at 12:42 PM Sylvia Orduño <smor...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello all:

If you are a customer within the Great Lakes Water Authority region, please submit comments at today's 1pm hearing regarding their proposed rate increase.

You'll find the agenda here. The Zoom info is below.

See this GLWA graphics document for their rationale of why budgetary and rate increases are necessary.

In particular, we need GLWA to:

a) Explain how the double-digit rate increase will reduce the debt service and keep down future rate increases.

b) Provide an accounting of how GLWA is reducing infrastructure and operating costs in its budget, just as families have to do with kitchen table budgeting.

c) Keep with prior rate increases no higher than 4% each for water and sewer.

d) Increase funding for WRAP at least .25% to provide for more residential customer needs and higher bills. 

e) Dedicate 10% of future investment fund earnings to the WRAP fund.

f) Pursue state legislature water assistance appropriations on par with energy customers' assistance funding.

g) Leverage its relationships to build strong support for statewide bipartisan water affordability legislation, as led by the MI Senate.

h) Investigate how regional funding options (e.g., tourism fees,) can be potential offsets to rate increases.

i) Address payment disparities, disputes, and responses differences (e.g., shutoffs) between residential and non-residential customers that foster mistrust.

In solidarity,

Sylvia

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