Highland Park Seeks $1.5 Million Sewer Refund Amid Election

Highland Park city leaders are demanding a $1.5 million adjustment to their sewer fees from the Great Lakes Water Authority, citing new meter data that contradicts current billing calculations. The request targets fiscal year 2026 costs and stems from a dispute over how combined sewer overflow expenses are allocated among the authority's member communities.

The conflict traces back to a 2024 settlement agreement that ended years of litigation between the city, the water authority, and the state. That deal included $70 million in state funding for water infrastructure and the installation of master water and sewer meters in Highland Park. Under the existing 1999 rate settlement, the city pays 2.065% of the region's $80 million in annual combined sewer overflow costs. Highland Park officials state this figure is based on outdated population and impervious area data rather than actual flow volumes.

City documents indicate the city's true measured proportion of combined sewer overflow volume is 0.21% of the total flow in the Great Lakes Water Authority system. This represents a tenfold difference from the current billing rate. The city has requested that the authority base future costs on metered wet weather sewer volumes instead of the 1999 allocation method.

Protesters gathered outside a Great Lakes Water Authority meeting at the Water Board Building in downtown Detroit on Wednesday to press the issue. Chanting slogans such as "GLWA owes Highland Park" and "stop overbilling," residents highlighted the financial strain on local households. Darthanian Nichols, a Highland Park resident and write-in candidate for city clerk, stated that the meters confirm the city has been overbilled for a long period.

"Our seniors are on a fixed income and they need to be treated fairly. So we're asking for transparency and accountability," Nichols said. Minnie Wicker, a 95-year-old resident, described the current bills as ridiculous and unfair, noting that the city is 82.3% Black with a poverty rate of 40.9%.

Phyllis Hurks, general counsel for the Great Lakes Water Authority, said the utility disagrees with the need for an immediate adjustment. She noted that the authority is following the terms of the 2024 settlement and the 1999 rate agreement. A combined sewer overflow cost pool task force reviewed the methodology from March through July but failed to agree on a new allocation. Hurks said the two parties have agreed to arbitrate their disputes in a legal forum to reach a final resolution.

The dispute has become a central issue in the November 3 Highland Park mayoral race. Shamayim Harris, a candidate challenging incumbent Mayor Glenda McDonald, framed the charges as a matter of putting citizens first. Doris Harris, a candidate for an at-large city council seat, said the city now has proof it is owed the refund. "We are overcharged, and now we're asking for the money, the adjustment," Harris said.

Melinda Jones, another at-large council candidate, noted that most candidates would advocate for a refund regardless of their political affiliation. The city's population has fallen by half since the 1999 agreement was signed, dropping from 16,746 residents in 2000 to 8,248 currently.