Highland Park Mayor: GLWA Charging City Four Times Comparable Rates

Highland Park is demanding a $1.5 million refund from the Great Lakes Water Authority over what the city calls an unfair allocation of sewer costs.

Mayor Glenda McDonald led a protest outside the authority's headquarters on Wednesday during a Board of Directors meeting. She stated that the billing formula assigns Highland Park a share of combined sewer overflow costs that is four times higher than the share assigned to other small cities of similar size.

The dispute centers on a rate settlement agreement signed in 1999. That agreement established the formula used to divide the costs of combined sewer overflows among member communities. These overflows occur when heavy rainfall overwhelms the sewer system, causing a mix of stormwater and wastewater to bypass treatment plants.

McDonald argued that actual usage data shows Highland Park contributes far less to these events than the current bill reflects. "They're charging us four times the amount that they charge other small cities like this with the amount of people that we have," she said at the protest.

The Great Lakes Water Authority maintains that the 1999 methodology remains in effect through subsequent federal orders. In a statement released Wednesday, the authority said it respects residents' right to protest but will not adjust charges outside of the agreed-upon arbitration process.

Charlene Turner Johnson, an organizer with Highland Park Water Advocates, noted that the city is the smallest user in the system but pays more than larger municipalities. "We're the smallest user in the system, and we're paying more than the other users, which are all larger cities," Johnson said.

Highland Park and the water authority have agreed to resolve the dispute through arbitration. A neutral third party will review both sides' arguments and data before issuing a binding ruling. The city entered new agreements with the authority in 2024, including a wastewater disposal services contract, but the underlying cost formula dates back to the late 1990s.

McDonald linked the utility costs to other economic pressures facing residents. "You already have high food, high DTE, high gas and now we're adding high water rates," she said. "These people can't survive it. They just can't." Michigan's unemployment rate stands at 5.0 percent, which is higher than the national rate of 4.2 percent.