DETROIT – A new regional entity that will manage water and sewer operations currently run by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department was made official Thursday by Wayne County's decision to join it.
The Wayne County Commission voted 14-1 in favor of becoming part of the Great Lakes Water Authority.
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The Detroit City Council previously approved the authority and needed just one of the three involved tri-counties to approve it as well.
The Macomb and Oakland county boards of commissioners have not voted yet.
About the GLWA:
The authority will pay Detroit $50 million a year for the next 40 years.
The city of Detroit will maintain control of its 3,400 miles of water mains and 3,000 miles of sewer pipes. The assets include 400 miles of water mains, 360 miles of sewer pipes, five water filtration plants, the Detroit Waste Water Treatment Plant on West Jefferson Avenue and several retention basins and pump stations. The money is required to be used for system improvements only.
About 500 Detroit Water and Sewerage Department employees will remain with the department and the remaining 900 will become employees of the Great Lakes Water Authority. All existing union contracts will be honored.
Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties would have a say in how the system is run outside Detroit.
The authority also will fund a $4.5 million Water Residential Affordability Program, to help residential customers systemwide who are struggling to pay their water and sewerage bills. The city of Detroit will be responsible for its billing, collections and shortfalls.
Another provision of the agreement is that the authority will cap water and sewerage rate increases at 4 percent per year for its first 10 years. Any increases above 4 percent would be charged by a customer's municipality.
How it would be run:
The authority's six-member governing board will consist of two representatives from the city of Detroit; one each from Wayne, Macomb and Oakland counties; and one appointed by the state who will represent the communities not in the tri-county area. If the Macomb and/or Oakland boards of commissioners do not approve the authority, the state will appoint their representatives to the board.
Wayne County's representative on the authority board will be recommended by the executive's office within 30 days and is subject to confirmation by the Commission. The authority is to be operational within 200 days of its inception.