Water Rates Are Going Up Across Flint and Genesee County

Water and sewer rates across Flint and more than 100 other communities are set to rise after the Great Lakes Water Authority approved regional increases that take effect July 1. The vote raises wholesale water rates by an average of 5.8 percent and sewer rates by 4.26 percent, costs that are passed down to cities and townships that rely on the system.

Because Flint is tied to a 30 year contract signed in 2017, the city has no ability to negotiate when GLWA raises wholesale rates. Any increase approved at the regional level raises Flint’s cost to purchase water, just as it does for surrounding communities throughout Genesee County.

According to MidMichigan Now, Flint 4th Ward Councilwoman Judy Priestley said the city does not expect to raise resident water rates this year. She said Flint previously created a water stabilization fund, using federal dollars to absorb regional rate increases so those costs did not immediately show up on customer bills.

That approach allows Flint to temporarily shield residents from rate hikes, even as wholesale costs rise. Outside the city, most townships and smaller communities do not have similar stabilization funds, meaning increases approved by GLWA are typically passed directly to customers.

GLWA has said the increases are driven by aging infrastructure and long term system maintenance, leaving local governments to decide whether to absorb those costs internally or pass them along to residents.