Sylvan Lake City Council amends budget for water bill

SYLVAN LAKE — The Sylvan Lake City Council recently amended the budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Since the Great Lakes Water Authority increased the price for the treated water it provides, many communities across Oakland County have found it necessary to find additional ways of paying for the service, and Sylvan Lake is no exception.

During its meeting June 11, the City Council approved by resolution a $100,000 budget amendment to cover the city’s increased water bills. The city manager commented on why the adjustments were being made now.

“Last year, when we did our water and sewer rate increases, we did not know what the increases were going to be from GLWA (Great Lakes Water Authority) and the (Oakland County) Water Resources Commissioner,” said John Martin, the city manager of Sylvan Lake. “We made the increase, but it wasn’t as much as it should have been.

“We had a cash flow problem this year with all the funding we had to provide for all the water line services verifications and grant issues,” he continued. “It threw us into a negative balance in our Water Department. We borrowed $50,000 from the general fund (and) everything was fine with that.”

However, Martin said the city still found itself coming up short. To remedy a potential cash flow issue, he proposed a workaround.

“I’m suggesting we (continue to classify) the $50,000 we transferred from the general fund to the Water Department a few months ago (as a transfer, and) have the other $50,000 be a loan from the general fund to the Water Department (that we) pay back in two years,” Martin said. “That would take care of all the legal aspects of the transfer of money from the general fund to the Water Department.”

The resolution was approved unanimously by council with a 3-0 vote, supported by Mayor Jim Cowper and council members Feather Buchanan and Mike Zubrzycki. Absent at the meeting were Mayor Pro Tem Sally Segal and City Councilmember Ben Clarke. The resolution declared that the loan would be repaid by June 30, 2026.

 

Water verification
The city manager also explained how a water verification program will affect residents.

The program is mandated by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, or EGLE. It ensures there is no lead in the water service lines or galvanized steel pipes that were previously connected to lead lines.

According to EGLE’s website, the program will eventually replace all lead service lines. In addition, randomly selected service lines are chosen for physical verification to determine the accuracy of the inventory.

According to Martin, there is a state requirement where 10% of the water service lines from the water mane to the meter must be inspected each year. It costs the city $1,000 for each home, and 80 homes were inspected in Sylvan Lake.

A $100,000 grant from the county helped fund the overall cost of $130,000.

For the next state-mandated round, Martin suggested compiling a list of the oldest homes in the city that had water services since the 1950s that may have lead pipes. However, he was instructed that the selection is random, so there is no choosing.

Newer homes that were only given the choice of acceptable materials are not exempt and may still be inspected.

A person asked if their brand-new home could still be inspected despite the only choice of pipes being copper or plastic. The city manager said that they could still be selected.

He also noted residents are often slow to respond to letters concerning line inspections.

“We are not getting a lot of response from the residents,” Martin said. “We send out the cards or letters. People are just ignoring them. You (residents) really do have to respond.”

He said that residents will continue to be contacted until they comply.

 

Disrespect of city employees
On a final note, the city manager expressed frustration with how employees have been treated recently by some visitors to City Hall.

“We’ve seen an increasing disrespect among many people,” Martin said.

He said some people come to City Hall asking about matters not within the city’s purview, such as water service verification information or correspondence from the Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner. These mailings have contact information written on them directing questions to other entities.

And yet some individuals have “become negative” and “mean-spirited” as they “belittle” city employees unable to answer their questions, the city manager said.

“People move to Sylvan Lake and can’t believe how special it is,” Martin said. “After a few years, it becomes normal, and they forget how special the city is.”

Among the things that make Sylvan Lake special, he said, are the amenities offered to residents such as an RV storage lot, dock spaces for those who don’t live on the lake, and kayak rack storage — all available to rent or lease. This is in addition to amenities such as tennis, pickleball, basketball and volleyball.

In addition, residents can also rent the community center for events, which is not possible in many other communities, he said.

“We have the same responsibilities, requirements and restrictions of any city, but we offer many more amenities than cities 10 times or more our size, and we do it with one-tenth or less the employees,” Martin said.

All community members must follow the same rules and regulations, he said. Being a volunteer does not give one special privileges, and it does not allow one to get their concerns addressed sooner than those who were before them in line.

“How the city runs and how things get done is such a finely tuned clock that it’s easy to just expect it, rather than understand the amount of work it takes to get it done,” Cowper said.

City employees should be treated with respect, Martin said.

“Please be civil with us at City Hall and with one another,” the city manager said. “Sometimes we need to be reminded to be nice. … Have a great summer and be kind to your friends, family and neighbors.”