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Canton Township adopts new water and sewer rates to take effect May 1
Summary
Canton Township trustees voted to set water and sewer rates effective May 1, 2026, after staff outlined a cost-of-service analysis driven by wholesale increases from the Great Lakes Water Authority; the township said it will use about $3.7 million of reserves to limit rate impacts, resulting in typical bi-monthly increases of roughly $5–$10 depending on usage.
The Canton Township Board of Trustees voted to adopt Resolution No. 2026-23 setting new water and sewer rates effective May 1, 2026, following a presentation from the township’s municipal services and finance staff.
Township officials told trustees the system’s total projected expenses for 2026 are about $41.27 million, driven largely by wholesale cost increases from the Great Lakes Water Authority. Finance and public-works staff said Canton will absorb a portion of the regional increase by dipping into cash reserves—about $3.7 million—to limit what residents pay. The township described the resulting average residential increase as under 5 percent, or approximately $5 to $10 extra per bimonthly bill depending on household use.
Director Norwood and the staff presentation explained that the rate proposal followed a comprehensive cost-of-service review that includes water purchases, sewage disposal, operations and capital needs. The board heard that Great Lakes Water Authority wholesale charges rose roughly 5.6 percent this cycle and that Canton, as a wholesale customer, has limited control over those upstream costs.
Officials also walked trustees through usage categories: a low user (about 2,000 gallons every two months) would see an increase of a few dollars per billing cycle; an average household (roughly 8,000 gallons bimonthly) would see a larger but still modest increase; heavy users would see the largest change.
“We’re actually going to dip into our cash balances by about $3.7 million to help augment those rates to the residents to try to help to offset that,” said a township finance representative during the presentation.
Trustees asked operational questions, including how often the township responds to water-main breaks and the cost of large repairs. Public-works staff answered that Canton typically sees about 30–35 water-main repairs in a year and cited a recent significant repair that cost in the neighborhood of $30,000.
After discussion the board voted in favor of the resolution. The resolution language read into the record confirms the township will implement the new rates beginning May 1, 2026.
What’s next: customers will begin seeing the adjusted charges on the first billing cycle after May 1; township staff said they will continue to publish details and the financial analysis used to set the rates.
