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Lake Mitchell Sewer Authority seeks $5 million to stabilize failing system and ease steep rate hikes
Summary
Representative Fox and Lake Mitchell Sewer Authority representatives asked the appropriations subcommittee for $5 million to repair pumps, stop sanitary overflows and reduce sharply escalating sewer rates that the authority said have risen from about $31.73 to $174 per month over the past decade.
Representative Fox and Lake Mitchell Sewer Authority representatives asked the House Appropriations Subcommittee for $5 million to repair a failing sewer system that authority officials said is producing an increasing number of sanitary overflows and causing steep, unsustainable rate increases for more than 800 users.
"This so called gift from the county was accompanied by many responsibilities, and the most burdensome being the maintenance and repair of a failing sewer system," Representative Fox told the committee. He said the Lake Mitchell Sewer Authority now operates independently of the county and that pump failures and increasing EGLE timelines have strained the authority's finances.
Fox said user fees were about $31.73 per month in February 2016 and have risen to roughly $174 per month; he told the committee that 9% of users are delinquent, creating foreclosure risk for property owners. The $5 million request, he said, would provide relief for residents and businesses around Lake Mitchell and Lake Cadillac, protect tourism assets such as Lake Mitchell State Park and Hemlock Campground, and reduce the risk of downstream impacts through connected waterways.
No motions or votes were recorded; the presentation was a funding appeal. Committee members did not take formal action during the session.
