Charter commission narrows Board of Water & Light changes, requires GM public meetings and broader rate hearing notice

The Lansing Charter Commission voted this week to amend and adopt several proposed changes to the city charter governing the Board of Water & Light, including a requirement that the utility's general manager hold regular public meetings and expanded notice and meeting rules for rate changes.

The commission approved language requiring the Board of Water & Light general manager or the general manager's designee to hold at least quarterly public meetings to interact with ratepayers and customers. The amendment to allow the manager’s designee passed on a roll-call vote (5–4). The commission then adopted the provision as amended by roll call (result recorded as 5 yeas, 4 nays). Commissioner Washington argued the change was intended to make sure “the people don’t feel as though they’re heard,” and said she had discussed the idea with the general manager before bringing it forward.

Why it matters: The change is intended to increase direct contact between customers and BWL leadership; commissioners and BWL representatives described it as an attempt to reach customers who cannot attend evening board meetings. BWL officials told the commission they plan to hold quarterly informational meetings in customer service areas and time at least one of those to coincide with the rate-setting process.

Most important facts: The commission unanimously approved deleting a charter provision that provided three nonvoting seats on the BWL board (section 5-103.12), removing those advisory positions from the charter. Commissioners said the change followed concerns about conflicts of interest and the commission voted the deletion unanimously.

Rate hearings and public notice: The commission also amended rate-setting language. Commissioners voted to require at least two public hearings (instead of one) before an effective date for a rate change, and to increase the required time between a hearing notice and the effective date. They removed a requirement that hearings be held “in each ward” and substituted more flexible language allowing meetings to be scheduled at different times of day and in locations to maximize attendance, including outside the city where customers live. The amendment that increased the number of hearings passed 8–1 on roll call.

Notice language adopted: Commissioners approved an alternate notice sentence requiring that notice be published by posting to the city’s and the board’s websites and by methods aimed at the board’s broader customer base, rather than relying solely on the city’s internal statutory “publish” definition. That notice-language replacement passed unanimously.

Hearing officer and related edits: The commission considered language about hearing officers and reporting of hearing outcomes to the mayor and council. After reviewing revised submissions from BWL, the commission voted unanimously to strike the contested language “as presented” (the commission record shows a unanimous vote to remove the specific editorial language brought forward by staff), signaling agreement to refine how hearing procedures and reporting are handled in the charter language.

Who spoke: The discussion included multiple commissioners (Washington, Boyd, Bauer, Lopez, Jeffries, Adam Simon, Anderson, Dowd, Coie and others), BWL General Manager Pefley and BWL staff (including an assistant general manager), and Attorney Rehwa who guided the commission on drafting options. BWL staff told the commission they are already planning additional meetings and would time some to the rate-setting period; the general manager said the quarterly informational meetings would be informational and not formal board meetings unless commissioners attended.

What’s next: The commission incorporated the approved amendments into the draft charter language. Commissioners said they will continue to finalize exact text and bring the complete, amended Article 5 back for final review and inclusion in the commission’s package for external review and possible ballot consideration.

Votes at a glance: The minutes record (roll calls and voice votes) show a 5–4 roll call approving the amendment allowing a designee to fulfill the public-meeting requirement; a subsequent roll call adopted the provision as amended (5 yeas, 4 nays); deletion of the three nonvoting seats passed unanimously; changing required public hearings from one to two and removing the “each ward” requirement passed 8–1; replacement notice language passed unanimously.

Ending: BWL officials told the commission they will work to schedule the newly-required meetings in customer service areas and to coordinate notice. The commission scheduled follow-up review on related BWL items (return-on-equity language and final line edits) at a future meeting.