Residents press Bay City leaders on water affordability, appointment rules and bridge operator at public comment

Several residents used the meeting’s public‑comment period to raise separate but related concerns about affordability, governance and bridge operations.

Water affordability: Sylvia Ordunio, citing a community meeting and a recent survey, urged the commission to support a statewide program to address water affordability. She said the state program would bring roughly $2,000,000 to Bay City to help residents with water bills and highlighted local poverty statistics (about 3,100 households, roughly 21.5% of residents) to underline need.

Appointments and governance: Paul Kleinau criticized the commission’s current appointment scoring system, arguing it encourages strategic point‑voting and urged the commission to adopt a ranked‑choice approach for appointments to make the selection process fairer and less gameable.

Bridge operator and tolls: Jeff Reed used his allotted five minutes to criticize Bay City Bridge Partners and encouraged residents to oppose the company’s tolls; his remarks were rhetorical and framed as political protest.

What residents asked for: Commenters asked the commission to back statewide assistance for water bills, to consider changes to the commission’s appointment rules and to scrutinize private operators of public infrastructure for accountability. Commissioners acknowledged the comments and asked staff to follow up as appropriate.