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

[Sylvia Orduño]

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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Join Zoom Meeting

https://glwater.zoom.us/j/89643267201?pwd=Jea6CLYWGSxMwIQAkf6csLGJRWKwg5.1

Meeting ID: 896 4326 7201

Passcode: 268980

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Meeting ID: 896 4326 7201

Passcode: 268980