Water, sewer rates on tap

By Megan Kelley
Review Writer
LAKE ORION — The Lake Orion Village Council scheduled a public hearing for the fiscal year 2023-24 water and sewer rates, as well as a special meeting to discuss the fiscal year 2023-2029 Capital Improvement Program.
The public hearing for the 2023-24 water and sewer rates is slated to take place on June 26 during a regularly scheduled council meeting. The council voted 4-2 to approve the hearing, with Councilmembers Michael Lamb and Nancy Moshier casting the two nay votes.
“The proposed rates reflect the revenue requirements adopted by council as part of the FY 2023-24 Water and Sewer Fund Budget as well as the revenue requirements to accommodate the anticipated debt payment relating to the $1.5 million Drinking Water Revolving Fund (DWRF) loan to complete the $7.3 million 2024 Sanitary Sewer Pump Stations Improvement Project,” Narsh said.
Additionally, the village anticipates receiving $5.8 million in grant funding for the project.
Lamb and Moshier both raised concerns about the current plan, which includes an increase in water and sewer rates.
“I understand this motion is for the setting of a public hearing to discuss a 65.14 percent increase in the water base rate on your bill, a seven percent increase on the water commodity, a 22.81 percent increase on your sewer base rate and a 39.44 percent increase on your sewer commodity use,” Lamb said.
At a previous meeting, Lamb had requested that proposed rates not just only reflect the necessary rates needed to fund the project but he could not recall approving the rates as they were presented.
“We’ve had no water and sewer rate increases for four or five years because of previous irresponsible village management. I can put that directly on the previous village manager because he is the one responsible to propose these rates. So, what you’re seeing here is four years of no rate increases despite, I think the average inflation was 4.5 percent a year. So, this rate increase is just catch up for the last four or five years. It doesn’t take into account our future water projects, it doesn’t take into account a lot of things. So, I hate to tell you this: I’m going to vote no on these rates because I think we need to bite the bullet now and have a slightly higher rate because we need to start saving for the future,” Lamb said.
Councilmember Ken Van Portfliet stood firm, stating that he and other council members did not want to hike the bill up more than was suggested and place an additional burden on residents.
This discussion is expected to continue during the public hearing at 7 p.m. on June 26 at Village Hall.
Additionally, the council voted to schedule a special meeting for 6 p.m. on July 24 to discuss the fiscal year 2023-2029 Capital Improvement Program, which will likely also include discussion on water and sewer rates as well as the village’s fee schedule.