Typical coming from an accountent....
Snyder proposes 47% Flint water bill refund Chad Livengood, Jacob Carah and
Jonathan Oosting, The Detroit News Flint Flint residents would get refunded
for 47 percent of their water bills dating back to April 2014 under a $30
million proposal Gov. Rick Snyder made Wednesday. "One of the reasons for this
announcement today is because of the great concern and attention to water
bills, I concur that people should not have to pay for water they shouldn't
drink,"
Snyder said Wednesday in Flint. Snyder's proposal calls for state taxpayers to
cover the cost of drinking water for Flint residents during the period in
which Flint was under control of state-appointed emergency managers and the
oversight of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The state DEQ
has acknowledged it failed to require Flint to add corrosion control chemicals
to its river water to prevent the leaching of lead metals into the water
supply. The governor's proposal would not cover the cost of water Flint
residents used for sewage disposal. Sewer costs are estimated to be 53 percent
of a Flint residents' water bills, according to Snyder's office. The governor
also noted the appropriation would be made for the 2016-17 budget. "This
doesn't mean this is happening today, it needs to go through the normal
appropriations process," Snyder said. Flint City Manager Natasha Henderson said
the Water and Sewer fund will only be solvent through the third to maybe the
fourth quarter. If insolvent, it would trigger a need for another emergency
manager. "These resources will help with that. With the $30 million dollar
supplemental, we have an additional $3 million set aside to help with city
utilities
and look at the loss from those arrears," Snyder said. The issue of Flint
residents being forced to pay for water that was deemed unsafe to drink came
up Wednesday morning during a congressional hearing on Flint's water crisis.
"Why are they even paying for money that they can't even use? U.S. Rep. Elijah
Cummings, the Maryland Democrat and ranking member of the U.S. Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform, asked during a heated inquiry of Michigan's
top environmental official. "Are they paying those bills? Are you going to
relieve them of that? Keith Creagh, director of the Michigan Department of
Environmental
Quality, noted Snyder's plan to credit the accounts of Flint residents for
their drinking water. "Everyone deserves water that is safe," Creagh told
Cummings.
Snyder's water bills proposal comes on the heels of a $28 million emergency aid
bill he signed last week to cover the escalating costs of providing Flint
residents with bottled water, faucet filters, replacing water fountains in
schools, daycare centers, nursing homes and hospitals and hiring school nurses,
among other initiatives. Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive,
said he is open to paying for Flint water bills, a proposal that would require
legislative approval during the annual budget process. The governor briefed
Meekhof on the plan prior to Wednesday's announcement, but the Senate Republican
caucus has not yet discussed it. "There's a good argument to be made that if
government has failed (residents) at every level, and is somehow involved
in this, that maybe we should consider that," Meekhof said. But $30 million is
not enough, said Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, who said he
has talked to Mayor Karen Weaver and believes it will take closer to $60
million to cover all usage and service charges on Flint water bills since April
of 2014. "I think that's probably a more appropriate number," Ananich said. "I
appreciate the fact that the governor is realizing it's unfair and that
people shouldn't be paying, but I think we have to work out and come to a
conclusion what the exact cost is. Ananich also urged the governor to tap a $575
million state surplus and put the water funding into a supplemental spending
bill, as opposed to the 2017 budget, which would not take effect until October.
"Let's be realistic, because the story came out today and because of my
comments, people are going to stop paying their bills, because they think "Oh,
if the governor proposes it, I'm going to get a refund. If they wait until
October the city will run out of money," Ananich said. "It's really important
to do it now. Meanwhile in Flint on Wednesday, Snyder wanted to say to
residents who want him to testify that he is cooperating with every
investigation.
"This is a situation where we should understand the lessons and learn to make
sure it never happens again," Snyder said. The governor also addressed the
safety of Flint's water, saying: "there is no timeline to say the water is
safe, that will only be validated by third parties. Absolutely, there is no
chronology. There is no date to say it's this date that will be based on water
tests. We have hopes. We hope it's sooner rather than later.
clivengood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(517) 371-3660
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