Wednesday, March 02, 2022

Regionalism = Blue Area Bailouts Yet Again

Water rates in Southeastern Detroit are going up yet again.  The Great Lakes Water Authority, successor to the corrupt Detroit Water and Sewage Department, as regionalised in the Detroit bankruptcy bailout, just announced a 3.7% rate hike - and to continue to increase at that rate each year for the next five years.

The Detroit News: Regional water authority OKs 3.7% water rate hike.

Why are they increasing among the entire region?  Well, half of the increase is because one Democrat-controlled city,  Highland Park, just isn't going to pay its water bill, making an audacious argument that it should only have to pay for water at rates set in 1996 ignoring all increases since then.

Almost half or about 1.15% of the 2.4% sewage rate hike in 2023 owes to Highland Park's debt, officials said. The unpaid debts are passed on through rates to GLWA's remaining member communities. The rates go into effect July 1. 

Regionalism is, and has always been, a slickly advertised scheme for blue cities/areas that have mismanaged their funds via living beyond their means giving unsustainable benefits and pensions in return for votes, or by straight-out corruption, to be able to not just kick the can down the road, but to get other people to bail them out and pay for their largesse.

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