LAKE ORION — On June 24, the Lake Orion Village Council voted 4-0 to introduce an ordinance that would create a uniform set of fees for water shut-offs and turn-ons.

President Pro-Tem Teresa Rutt and council members Kenneth Van Portfliet and Nancy Moshier were absent from the meeting.

Currently, the village has two sets of fees, according to village Manager Darwin McClary.

McClary said one is a set fee of $75 for turn-on and turn-off for certain emergencies, while the other is for seasonal, or temporary shut-off.

“It sets a $5 fee,” McClary said. “The cost for one hour of service for our public works staff to go out and do a shut-off or turn-on is…$50 to $75 for personnel costs and fringe benefits and equipment cost. We want to establish one uniform fee of $75.”

This would make it easier for the village to administer, and allows the village to recoup village costs for the shut-offs and turn-ons from the water and sewer fund, according to McClary.

“I think we should not charge people if they cannot turn off the water service within their house because the valves are old, or the meters are old,” council member Michael Lamb said. “I don’t think we should be charging them if they have to repair that just so they can shut their own water off.”

Lamb still said he was ready to support the introduction after council President Jerry Narsh said a resolution can always be amended.

One Lake Orion resident told council she believes there should be a charge because she said doing it for free would cost the village money by taking village workers away from whatever other job they are doing.

Two other changes the ordinance would make were included in village documents.

The first would be eliminating the hydrant rental fee charged to the Orion Township Fire Department. The second would be removing all fees and charges from the water code, and allowing village council to establish the fees and charges by resolution after a public hearing.

According to village documents, these changes are predicted to make sure council no longer needs to go through the ordinance amendment process every time council changes a fee or charge.

The ordinance is scheduled for second reading and consideration of adoption during council’s July 22 meeting at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, 21 E. Church St.