Battle Creek approves water-service contracts with Marshall and Emmett amid public concern over transparency and infrastructure

The Battle Creek City Commission on Feb. 18 approved two water-service contracts — one with the city of Marshall and one with the charter township of Emmett — after public comment that raised concerns about prior secrecy and the condition of shared infrastructure.

The contracts were authorized by resolutions 80 and 81. Resolution 80 authorizes the interim city manager to execute a water services contract with the city of Marshall; resolution 81 authorizes a contract with the charter township of Emmett. Both measures passed following discussion and were recorded as approved by the commission.

Why it matters: The agreements expand or formalize wholesale water arrangements with neighboring jurisdictions and were discussed in the context of recent regional development and repairs to lift stations and transmission lines. Members of the public and township representatives said they were surprised by prior actions on associated infrastructure and sought greater transparency about maintenance and potential costs to local ratepayers.

Public commenters pressed for clarity and said Emmett Township was not fully informed about work on transmission lines and lift stations. "I understand that there's $13,000,000 worth of piping was put in right under the noses of the Emmett Board," said Joe Harris, a Battle Creek resident, during the public-comment period. Harris urged transparency and investigation into how the work was authorized and funded.

Ryan Leonard, an Emmett Township trustee who spoke at the meeting, said the township learned about the transmission line only when officials were asked to accept ownership. "We didn't really know anything about it until they came and asked us to take ownership over it and agree to maintain," Leonard said, adding that more research is needed on the lift station's condition.

Another public commenter, Autumn Smith, criticized nondisclosure agreements she said had been used in prior negotiations and flagged a proposed memorandum of understanding that would allow up to 5,000,000 gallons per day of wholesale water. "This is asking them to sign a memorandum of understanding for 5,000,000 gallons of water per day," Smith said, and she urged caution over long-term effects on aquifers and bills.

Commission discussion focused on capacity and how wholesale customers pay for upgrades. Commissioner Simpson asked whether the city’s residents were subsidizing infrastructure expansions that serve outside users and how costs will be apportioned.

Interim City Manager Ted responded that the city uses rate studies to factor capital investments into rates and that, in the present case, state support and the wholesale agreement should place costs on the user in Marshall. "We do rate studies... and that is reflected in the rates," Ted said. He also said the system is not near its capacity limits at present.

Before the votes, officials also referenced shared projects — including a lift-station repair and a transmission line — and noted the need for further investigation and communication with township officials to resolve questions raised during public comment.

The commission approved both resolutions. The motions were made and supported on the record; the transcript does not record roll-call tallies in the meeting minutes provided.

Next steps: Staff and commissioners said follow-up work will include more detailed information for future commission deliberations, including capacity and rate-history data requested by commissioners.