Lansing commission advances charter changes for Board of Water and Light after hours of public comment

The Lansing Charter Commission on March 18 advanced a series of charter amendments that update governance and oversight of the Lansing Board of Water and Light (BWL), following more than two hours of public comment from both BWL employees and customers who said they are struggling with bills.

The commission approved multiple changes to Article 5 — the BWL sections of the city charter — including renaming the board’s chief officer from “director” to “general manager,” updating the board’s stated powers to include chilled and thermal energy, and adjusting how certain property sales must be approved by city council. Commissioners also approved language formalizing current practice on how BWL funds are held and disbursed and retained the board’s authority to select its external auditor while clarifying the board’s internal audit role.

Why it matters: The amendments clarify how BWL operates and codify practices that affect rate-setting, audits, property transactions and customer protections. Opponents at the meeting said parts of the charter make it hard for residents to influence rate decisions, while BWL supporters argued the utility’s local, not-for-profit structure and community programs justify retaining the current board model.

Public comment opened the meeting. Dozens of speakers, including current and former BWL employees, labor representatives and customers, delivered competing accounts of the utility’s performance. Derek Quinney, introduced himself as a lifelong Lansing resident and said he supported the current governance model: “I support them in that regard as well,” he told commissioners, praising the utility’s community programs.

Jan Simpson, identifi…