HOUSE BILL No. 5750

 

June 14, 2012, Introduced by Rep. Olumba and referred to the Committee on Local, Intergovernmental, and Regional Affairs.

 

     A bill to provide for the listing of certain information by

 

certain local units of government; and to provide for the powers

 

and duties of certain local governmental officials and entities.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the

 

"municipal water and sewer transparency act".

 

     Sec. 3. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Local unit of government" means a county, city, village,

 

township, charter township, drainage district, or authority

 

existing under the laws of this state.

 

     (b) "Municipal sewage collection system" means a sewerage

 

system of a local unit of government that collects sewage or

 

combined sewage directly from the users of that system and

 

transports that sewage to a wastewater treatment facility for


 

disposal.

 

     (c) "Municipal water distribution system" means a water supply

 

system of a local unit of government that receives water from a

 

water source and distributes water directly to the users or

 

ratepayers of that system.

 

     (d) "Utility" means a municipal sewage collection system or

 

municipal water distribution system serving customers located

 

outside the corporate limits of a local unit of government.

 

     Sec. 5. Within 30 days after a utility adopts its annual

 

operating budget, the utility shall make all of the following

 

available through a link on its website:

 

     (a) The water or sewage rates charged by the utility.

 

     (b) A description of any contracts with a value greater than

 

$25,000.00 that the utility has entered into in the past year.

 

     (c) A comparison of the rates charged by the utility to the

 

rates charged by other municipal sewage collection systems and

 

municipal water distribution systems in other states.

 

     (d) The debts and revenues of the utility.

 

     (e) The investments and improvements to the utility's

 

infrastructure implemented in the past year.