Detroit Activists Looking to Implement Income-Based Water Rates in the City
Detroit activists want the city to adopt water affordability policies modeled after Philadelphia’s.
Detroit residents are calling for a water affordability plan modeled after Philadelphia’s. The Philadelphia City Council recently approved a measure to calculate water rates based on a household’s salary. Roger Colton is a consultant for a new Detroit Water and Sewerage Department committee that’s studying affordability. He says Philadelphia’s plan not only discounts water rates, it forgives past customer debt.
“The debt that they’re currently owed will be retired over time through a combination of customer payments and credits that are granted, so long as you make your current bill payments.”
-Roger Colton
Colton says he worked on a similar plan with the Detroit City Council about ten years ago, but the Water Department failed to implement it. Earlier this month, the City Council voted to increase water bills by 7.5 percent.
