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Ishpeming council pauses 5% utility rate increase, adopts monthly billing policy and promotes new leak‑monitoring system
Summary
The Ishpeming City Council voted to delay a scheduled 5% utility rate increase for 2025, adopted revisions to the city's utility billing policy, and heard a demonstration of the Aqua Hawk customer leak‑detection system intended to reduce surprise bills and sewage disposal costs.
The Ishpeming City Council voted to forego a planned 5% increase to water and sewer rates for 2025 and adopted revisions to the city's utility billing policy intended to standardize monthly billing and give customers more time before shutoff.
Council members approved the moves at the June meeting after the city's finance director said the new metering and billing systems have raised collections and that year‑to‑date revenues were tracking to plan. "My recommendation at this time mid year is to forego the 2025 rate increase," said Grant, the city's finance director. Council members supported the recommendation by voice vote.
The council also adopted revisions to Policy 304 to set a single monthly billing cycle. Under the adopted schedule, prior bills are due on the 5th of the month, current bills are issued on the 8th, shutoff notices are sent on the 15th, the final day to pay without being subject to shutoff is the 25th, and service is eligible for shutoff on the 26th of each month. The revisions include staff guidance on temporary payment extensions and outreach for customers who need assistance.
At the same meeting, the city demonstrated Aqua Hawk, the new monitoring platform that can send automated leak alerts to customers and to staff. DPW staff said Aqua Hawk can highlight accounts with unusually high flow and allow the city to notify customers by email or text. Bill, speaking for public works, noted the system showed an example where a day‑care account used 80 gallons on a Sunday; staff can register customers at the counter and preconfigure alert thresholds.
Council members and staff framed the combined changes as a way to reduce underbilling and wastewater disposal costs. "We're collecting pretty much every penny that's due to us," Mayor Pat Scanlon said during the discussion, noting that better metering also reduces the volume of water the city pays to dispose of at the landfill.
The council moved promptly from the policy discussion to a formal vote adopting the billing policy revisions. Staff said Aqua Hawk accounts can be set up by customers and that the city will provide training and a short instructional video.
The policy change is limited to billing and collections; the council left a standing scheduled increase for 2026 in place for later review. Council members emphasized the city will continue offering case‑by‑case temporary payment extensions and a front‑office option to register customers for Aqua Hawk notifications.
