Residents in the city of Flint have not had clean water for just over three years. Unfortunately, they are still expected to pay water bills for water that is neither drinkable nor usable, and on the heels of last month’s shutoffs for nonpayment of said water bills, this month residents are being threatened with the loss of their homes.
More than 8,000 residents who have unpaid bills received notices that if their balances are not paid by May 19, a tax lien will be placed on their homes.
Why in the USA, can't we fix Flint's water issue?
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/04/us/flint-water-home-foreclosure.html?_r=0
Following a water crisis that saw sky-high levels of lead contamination in Flint, Mich., many homes in the city still do not have access to safe tap water.
But that doesn’t mean they’re not being charged for it. And if they can’t pay in time, they may lose their homes.
The city has mailed 8,002 letters to residents in an effort to collect about $5.8 million in unpaid bills for water and sewer services. If homeowners do not pay by May 19, property liens are transferred to tax bills, which begins a process that can end with residents losing their homes unless they pay their outstanding bills before March 2018.
Flint generally sends these letters annually to property owners whose payments are at least six months late. But because Flint skipped this process in 2016, this year’s letters cover two years of past-due balances.
The crisis culminated in a switch back to the Detroit water system in October 2015, as well as felony charges against Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose, the emergency managers who had been appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder.
In a March settlement with Flint residents and national advocacy groups, Michigan agreed to spend $87 million to replace lead pipes in the city. The state also offered credits to help Flint residents pay their water bills until February, shortly after the state announced that lead in the city’s drinking water had been reduced enough to comply with federal regulations.
But the city acknowledged last week that “up to 20,000 Flint residences still have lead and galvanized service lines that need to be replaced,” adding that it hoped to replace service lines for 6,000 homes this year.
Because of the continuing issues with aging pipes, thousands of Flint residents are still at risk from high lead levels.
Mayor Karen Weaver of Flint said in a statement on Wednesday that the city’s requests for payment on overdue water and sewage bills are in accordance with local laws.
But, she added, “I understand the concerns that have been raised, and I am working to see if any changes or something can be done to help those affected by this, especially given the extraordinary circumstances we have endured due to the water crisis.”
The mayor’s office pointed out that the city had already been working to help residents pay their water bills, citing programs including one that uses a $100,000 grant from United Way to provide matching funds to low-income residents.
WTF why should Flint residents have to pay for water that is unsuitable for human consumption? Shut down Flint, Businesses must shut down to support residents. The Government must pay fro the water not the poor citizen's. BTW, Flint is not the only state with water unsuitable for human consumption, or bathing.
The nation's people need to focus our discussions around helping these people.. Clean water... We are debating healthcare (an important issue, but only after water.)
This sound like tyranny to me. I would be tempted to pack my things and move to a different town. If anything, shouldn't the water company owe the people money because of the poisoned water?
It is crazy, this is a very poor area, and sadly, I doubt many of them have the resources to just move.
Thank you for sharing this. Flint still needs a lot of help and attention. NPR's Planet Money did an interesting segment on the problems that Detroit faced in collecting water bills. I thought it was a pretty fair view of the situation. Of course, this was before the Flint water crisis.
Interesting. I will have to see if I can find it.
Here's the link: http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/08/08/338068996/episode-559-detroits-water-bill
Hey Thanks