Faulty water meters cause reassessed rates

CENTER LINE — A new water meter could mean a higher bill or, in some cases, a refund.

During the Center Line City Council’s Feb. 3 meeting, resident Kenneth Waller stepped up to the podium to explain how his new water meter led to an increased bill. Waller, who has lived in the city since 2008, said the new meter was installed last fall. He went to pay his bill three months later and was surprised to see he owed $1,700.

“I was blown away, I said, ‘That’s not my water bill,’” Waller said.

The new meter Waller had installed showed the city had been undercharging him for six years. He said he can’t afford the payment plan the city set up for him to pay off the amount.

“I just don’t think that’s fair at all. I can’t agree with that,” Waller said. “It was some faulty equipment and it’s not my fault the equipment was faulty.”

Mayor Bob Binson said the City Council would look into Waller’s situation.

“People want to pay it, it’s just people can’t take that big of a hit,” Binson said.

Center Line Treasurer Joseph Sobota explained that a faulty meter can still track information. When a meter dies, the city uses the last reading available, leading to the assessed charges residents face. The reassessment could also lead to a refund, according to Sobota.

“We had one this cycle that had close to a $1,000 refund,” he said.

Sobota explained the policy set by the council. Each typical bill a resident pays has a $100 increase, every other month, to pay off the previously owed amount. That increase will stay on the regular bill until the delinquent amount is paid off. If the adjusted payments aren’t made, a resident would have to pay off the amount in full and the resident will not have additional payment plans for the bill extended to them.

“We have to find a way to make it a little easier to handle that big chunk,” Binson said. “Maybe spread it out over more time? We need to get these water meters replaced.”

Following the meeting, City Manager Dennis Champine said the city has 500-600 meters in stock to replace meters in residential homes. He said the city has been in the process of changing out the old meters for the last four years.

“Those have been slowly but surely installed in homes where the meters have shut down due to the age of them,” Champine said.

Later in the meeting, the council unanimously approved the purchase of 122 commercial water meters from Ferguson Waterworks, located in Warren, not to exceed $79,269. According to Champine, the purchase addressed water bills that have not been estimated in recent months. He also said the purchase will establish an inventory for replacements in the future.

 

10 Mile construction to ramp up
Improvements on 10 Mile Road, between Ryan Road and Lorraine Avenue, are scheduled for this spring.

“We’re very excited about having 10 Mile Road redone because it’s so messed up right now,” Binson said, prior to the Feb. 3 meeting. “It’s in such bad shape, it’s almost back to being a dirt road.”

Champine gave an update of the project at the Feb. 3 meeting.

“We’ll be down to two lanes relatively quick throughout the entire portion of spring through fall, with an ending date sometime in November,” he said. “It’s a major project. It is the largest single road project in Macomb County for 2025.”

Champine said the price tag for the project is about $16 million. Of that total amount, $10 million will be spent on the chunk of 10 Mile within Center Line and the remaining $6 million will be on Warren’s end. Center Line is chipping in $2 million for the project. The water main replacements along the roads have been completed and are currently in the cleanup stage, according to Champine.

“We’ll have a small period where there’ll be nothing going on and then it’s just going to hit us like a rocket,” Champine said. “It’s going to be very inconvenient for drivers.”

 

Mopar site update
Champine provided details of Stellantis’ sale of its Mopar site in the city at the Feb. 3 meeting.

Ashley Capital bought the space from Stellantis. The company will continue operations at the site, leasing the space from Ashley Capital. Champine said the duration of this lease is approximately 2-3 years.

“It is expected that, right now, Ashley Capital intends to tear down all of the existing buildings on the property and construct about a million-square-foot facility,” Champine said.

Food and beverage distributor Capital Sales is slated to occupy 700,000 square feet of the new facility on the property, according to Champine. He said the goal is to consolidate the distributor’s four current locations in Michigan into the new facility.

Champine said the investment on the property totals about $300 million.

 

Nuisance ordinance passed
The council unanimously approved a new ordinance giving the city more teeth to address property nuisances. It aims to resolve issues with property structural maintenance, hoarding and collection of junk and debris.

Following the meeting, Champine said that the biggest change is allowing the city to go through 37th District Court instead of Macomb County Circuit Court for condemning a property. The ordinance does not allow the city to take the property over, it just allows for remediation of a property to bring it in line with the values of other properties in a neighborhood.

Champine said problem properties can be frustrating for property owners as well as city ordinance enforcement officers, building officials and public safety officers. He said problem properties can result in dilapidated structures, vagrancy and loitering.

Champine said that Hazel Park’s ordinance was used as a blueprint for Center Line’s.