Don't believe everything being bandied about when it comes to water rates.

Canton officials aren't expected to have final water rates calculated until possibly March.

True, township officials have received preliminary word that Detroit expects $10.9 million in water-service revenue from Canton during a one-year period starting July 1. And that's a 16-percent spike in just two years, Municipal Services Director Tim Faas said.

That does not mean, however, that Canton residents are necessarily facing a 16-percent rate hike.

"It'll be awhile before we have that number," Faas said.

The new Detroit calculations provide just one snapshot, among others, ultimately leading to water rates that go into effect May 1.

Canton officials expect to receive formal notice around Feb. 24 of what the township may be facing for wholesale water costs from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. But, township officials also have to calculate local expenses for providing service.

In some years, Canton rate increases have come in lower than the initial numbers out of Detroit.

In 2013, Detroit had proposed a 9-percent rate hike for Canton, but local officials for a second year didn't raise rates. That gave local consumers a reprieve from some past double-digit increases that, in 2008 alone, topped 20 percent.

Currently, a typical Canton household using 32,282 gallons of water every three-month billing period faces quarterly bills of $358, or just over $1,400 a year.

Trustee John Anthony has been among DWSD's most vocal critics, last year calling DWSD "a bunch of incompetent boobs who don't have a clue to what's going on."

However, he and others have somewhat softened their criticism, saying they believe Sue McCormick, DWSD director, and James Fausone, a Canton resident who chairs DWSD's Board of Water Commissioners, have made strides to improve the department.

Canton and Detroit are still engaged in talks to determine whether Canton, in a move to control peak-hour water usage and ease rate hikes, might manage part of a DWSD water facility in Canton, southeast of Joy and Morton Taylor roads.

"I think things are moving in the right direction," Anthony said last fall, when McCormick came to Canton for talks.

Faas said Thursday that any agreement between Canton and Detroit likely wouldn't have an impact on water rates for two to three years.

In one of the quirks of water rates, Canton and other communities often get socked with higher increases even if they scale back on consumption. Officials say that's because Detroit still has to have a certain amount of revenue, regardless of consumption, to provide service and repair an aging system.

It's not what local residents have wanted to hear, with some complaining at water rate forums.

Faas said this year's water-rate forums are expected sometime in March, once Canton's water-sewer rates are calculated. The township board is expected to vote in April for rates that take effect May 1.

Faas said preliminary numbers from Detroit, though widely reported, don't provide a true picture of what those rates will be.

"It does cause some confusion," he said.

Twitter: @CantonObserver


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