Detroit City Council approves historic regional water authority

[Vic01]

DETROIT [[WJBK) - The Detroit City Council voted to approve the regional water authority Friday creating a partnership between the city and Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. In the plan, the city would lease its treatment plants and water mains to the Great Lakes Water Authority for $50 million a year.
Over the last three years the city of Detroit suffered 5,000 water main breaks in Detroit over the last three years. Aging pipes are the problem and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says a regional water authority is the best solution.
On Friday afternoon Detroit City Council members approved the Great Lakes Water Authority by a vote of 7-2. "It's not the perfect deal but it's the best deal we have right now," said councilman Andre Spivey, who voted yes. "This way we feel we own the asset."
The new water authority will lease the water and sewer system for $50 million a year for 40 years. That money will be spent to fix the antiquated system. Detroit maintains owners ship and operation of everything within city limits. The board will have six members, two appointed by Duggan and one each appointed by Wayne, Oakland and macomb counties and Gov. Rick Snyder. "We're in a financial situation like this, we have to take these steps to improve the lives of our residents," said councilman James Tate who voted yes.
Not everyone agrees. City Council President Brenda Jones and council member Mary Sheffield both voted no, saying that it should be up to voters to decide. At the meeting, many people spoke out against the deal during public comment "This deal is abominable," said one resident. The authority likely would have been pushed forward by the emergency manager, no matter how the council voted.
The plan must now be approved by at least one of the counties - a vote on that is expected next month.


http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/story/26...ater-authority

[Danny]

Coleman Young on the created regional water authority.

'I would say no to this bull----. How dare those white folks other side of 8 Mile Rd. tell Detroit Department of Water and Sewage what they can control from its sewage pipes to rates. I would turn their water off. That would teach them to mess with my department. F--- them all to hell!'

[Smirnoff]

DETROIT [[WJBK) -
Not everyone agrees. City Council President Brenda Jones and council member Mary Sheffield both voted no, saying that it should be up to voters to decide.

Right.....where was the people vote regarding bankruptcy, jail project, Cobo Hall, Belle Isle, Tiger Stadium elimination, Ford Field, Comerica Park, [[insert others), ......

[Willi]

Perhaps some will remember :

The Detroit City Council approved the transfer of
the Oakland-Macomb Interceptor [[OMI)
in the Oakland-Macomb County Drainage District.
The vote was 5-2 in favor of the transfer,
which is part of a larger settlement reached between
DWSD and its suburban customers.

The OMI requires approximately $125 million in
emergency repairs, according to DWSD Interim Director,
Pamela Turner, although other estimates
have put the price tag as high as $160 million.

Some ""may"" notice 95% of it; is in MACOMB county;
but its actually for poor old oakland county so it
doesn't bury itself in poop and rainwater,
hence the name [[ OMI ) aka the ohhh my drain

[EastsideAl]

Perhaps some will remember :

The Detroit City Council approved the transfer of
the Oakland-Macomb Interceptor [[OMI)
in the Oakland-Macomb County Drainage District.
The vote was 5-2 in favor of the transfer,
which is part of a larger settlement reached between
DWSD and its suburban customers.

The OMI requires approximately $125 million in
emergency repairs, according to DWSD Interim Director,
Pamela Turner, although other estimates
have put the price tag as high as $160 million.

Some ""may"" notice 95% of it; is in MACOMB county;
but its actually for poor old oakland county so it
doesn't bury itself in poop and rainwater,
hence the name [[ OMI ) aka the ohhh my drain

And it drains across most of Detroit and into our treatment plant. So?

Still needs to be fixed.

[Willi]

The Interceptor set the precedent - a regional settlement of assets
reached between DWSD and its suburban customers.
Somehow LBrooksP and Hack didn't seem to mind back then.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes said he will reveal how much of a claim he will allow Macomb County to use in voting as a creditor in Detroit’s bankruptcy. The issue relates to the suburban county’s ongoing legal fight to get repaid for what it says were gross overcharges for repairs after a major sewer line collapsed in Sterling Heights in 2004, creating a giant sinkhole.
Macomb County Public Works Commissioner Anthony Marrocco in 2011 sued former Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, members of his administration, Kilpatrick friend and contractor Bobby Ferguson and others over the 2004-05 repair project that Marrocco claims cost $26 million more than it should have because of fraudulent overbilling.

The Interceptor was the beginnings of Regional Authority,
anyone who paid a bit of attention saw the writing on the wall

The Macomb Interceptor Drain serves 522,000 people in 11 Macomb communities.
At the time the 11-foot sewer line collapsed near 15 Mile and Hayes in 2004,
the DWSD owned the lines, but Macomb bought the line in 2010
and now says fraudulently overbilled repair costs were passed on to the county.

[Dumpling]

Was at the 2004 sinkhole as a job site. The work was overseen by DWSD
engineers, but in my recollection the major contractors at that site were based
in Macomb County. It would not surprise me at all if these charged a bit more,
sort of like your emergency plumber, for having to drop any other projects they
might have been working on to go work on the sinkhole. Given even a bit of
evidence of corruption the matter should of course be litigated.

[jerrytimes]

The peoples vote was when they elected city council

[Wesley Mouch]

The peoples vote was when they elected city council

We all know that Ms. Jones 'let the people decide' is simply pandering to the anti- vote -- and a demonstration of inability to lead.

We are all talking about a water system here. It is not and should not be viewed as anything more than a public utility. it should not be a profit center or a jobs center or anything else. It should build float bond, build necessary infrastructure, and prudently run the operations -- taking no money out as 'profit' for anyone.

This is not a jewel. Its a pipe. Let voters decide on a fiscal management issue? That's what you were elected for. Make good decisions.