Officials weigh in on rising water and sewer rates

MADISON HEIGHTS — With the start of the new fiscal year July 1, water and sewer rates have gone up in Madison Heights and other communities across Michigan.

Officials say they worked hard to minimize the tax burden on residents, as reflected by the overall operating millage staying the same, but the bill for water and sewer still increased due to forces beyond their control.

As of July 1, the water rate increased from $4.44 per unit to $4.74, and the sewer rate increased from $6.56 per unit to $6.96. In Madison Heights, one unit of water or sewer usage is equal to 100 cubic feet of water, which equals about 748 gallons of water.

Melissa Marsh, the city manager of Madison Heights, said the rate adjustment was mostly due to rising wholesale costs passed onto the city by the Great Lakes Water Authority, which supplies the city’s drinking water, and the Oakland County Water Resources Commission, which manages the city’s sewer and stormwater systems.

“These agencies have increased their charges in response to rising commodity prices and infrastructure maintenance costs,” Marsh said.

She noted that previously, GLWA limited its annual rate increases to only 4%, but multiple years of cost pressures have been absorbed, and this year was the first year where GLWA’s proposed charges exceeded 4%, increasing by 5.69%.

Mayor Pro Tem Mark Bliss said he felt the situation could have been handled better by the GLWA and the county.

“I think these water and sewer rates should be subsidized by the state, but even just dealing with the system as it is today, I think more effort should be put into reducing administrative costs so that these groups can keep the rates as low as possible,” Bliss said, noting pay increases the GLWA gave its leadership last year. “I think people understand rates going up a reasonable amount due to inflation, but what they don’t understand is when the rates go up a significant amount all in one fell swoop.

“There has to be a way to achieve efficiency and pass those savings onto our residents who are struggling with paying for their groceries, their medications and their mortgage,” he continued. “Water is a human right. One of the proudest things I’ve accomplished in my 12 years on council was the resolution we passed preventing water shutoffs for people behind on their bills. The city now keeps the water running and finds another way to make those payments. Shutting off water and charging them to turn it back on would just add to their debt. It would also make their home unsafe for the community when they can’t even flush their toilets.”

When asked about the sewer rate increase, Trisha Bruzek, marketing and communications officer for the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office, said in an email that “Madison Heights sets their own water and sewer rates,” and later said the rate increase for the George W. Kuhn Drainage District was the result of GLWA raising its rates and Madison Heights consuming more water for the county to process.

Zakiyyah Wade, a representative for GLWA, said in an email that this is the first year that GLWA’s budget exceeded 4%, as the “4% Promise” included in the organization’s foundational documents also ended this year.

“Despite this increase, GLWA’s nine-year average charge increase was well below inflation and well below the 4% promise — 2.7% for water and 1.6% for wastewater,” Wade said.

Wade also said that GLWA was faced with double-digit increases in supplier costs for chemicals, utilities and construction work, but tried to limit the impact on residents by “restructuring debt to garner savings, maximizing investment returns, and deferring maintenance projects.” Wade said that in the end, “each individual member partner community sets the end cost, or local rates, that are passed along to residents and businesses.”

Regarding salary increases for GLWA leaders, Wade said that “GLWA is a pay for performance-based organization, and compensation is merit-based for all eligible team members.”

Marsh said that the city of Madison Heights was originally contacted by GLWA with the proposed rate increase in late January, and that the final approval rates were then received in April. To try and offset the increased cost, officials looked for savings elsewhere in the budget.

“We have kept our millage rate lower than the authorized amount,” Marsh said. “We also reduced expenditures planned in (fiscal year) 2026 to eliminate some capital improvement, prioritizing our most critical needs. We have implemented a hiring/review freeze. We continue to aggressively look for grants.”

She noted that even with the rate increase, Madison Heights still has some of the lowest water and sewer rates in the tri-county area.

Marsh also had some advice for residents looking to control their costs during the summer by reducing water usage, which she said has the added benefit of reducing strain on infrastructure.

For starters, she suggested they water lawns in the evening or early in the morning. Watering between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. or after 7 p.m. when it’s cooler outside reduces evaporation loss so that your lawn gets more benefit with less water used.

Marsh also suggested limiting outdoor watering in general, since lawns typically only need about 1 inch of water per week, including rainfall, and overwatering is not only wasteful but potentially harmful to the health of grass. Residents should also consider using a rain barrel for gardening and landscaping — an all-natural way to conserve treated drinking water for where it’s truly needed.

Marsh also suggested looking for leaks around the house, since even small faucet drips or running toilets can waste significant amounts of water over time, impacting your bill. Shortening time in the shower by several minutes can also save a family hundreds of gallons per month.

“We appreciate everyone’s efforts to use water responsibly,” Marsh said. “These small actions make a big difference in keeping our infrastructure operating efficiently and costs down for the entire community.”

Those with questions about their specific water usage can call the Madison Heights Water and Sewer Division at (248) 589-2294.