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Council adopts water-conservation enforcement clause aligning Saginaw with wholesale supplier
Summary
The council approved an amendment adding an enforcement process and stepped administrative fees to the city's water-conservation plan to comply with requirements from its wholesale supplier; staff said domestic water service would not be disconnected and enforcement will focus on irrigation systems.
Saginaw City Council voted to adopt an amendment to the city code adding an enforcement process to the water-conservation plan, bringing local rules into alignment with the city's wholesale supplier. Assistant Director of Public Works Jared Kirsty told the council the change is required because "anytime that they make an ordinance change or amendment to their ordinances, we have to follow as a customer. Uh we're contractually liable to do that."
The amendment formalizes a stepped enforcement approach for irrigation noncompliance. Jared described the penalties: "there's an enforcement step process. The first being information, making contact, educate, and information. If they don't comply after that, uh there's a $25 administrative fee. Um, if they don't comply to that, it'll go to $50, then it'll go to 75, and then up to disconnect service." Jared and staff clarified the disconnect would apply to irrigation only and not to domestic household water. A resident, Diana Bridges, asked whether shutting irrigation water off could damage sprinkler systems; staff reassured her it would not normally damage systems if done short term.
Council members pressed on whether the enforcement would apply only during declared droughts; staff said the enforcement language will be applied continuously based on the wholesale supplier's drought stage and the city's drought-contingency designations, noting the region has been under Stage 1 conditions. Council members also debated that the prior ordinance used higher flat fines and that the new stepped administrative-fee structure was intended to provide graduated responses and encourage education-first enforcement.
The council moved to approve the consent-agenda item amending section 98-229 of the city code to add the enforcement process and the motion passed. Staff said code-enforcement and environmental staff will continue to prioritize education and warnings before fees are assessed. The council vote was announced as "Motion passes"; a roll-call tally was not provided in the meeting record.
The ordinance change takes effect as adopted; staff will proceed with public communication about the schedule, exemptions for new sod and grass establishment, and the contact points for customers who need to change irrigation or donation settings on their accounts.
