Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Oakland County, Brooks Patterson Still Not Buying EM's Plan for Regional Water Authority (UPDATED)

The Detroit Free Press reports this morning that Oakland County Executive, L. Brooks Patterson is still sounding pessimistic about the Emergency Manager's revised plan for a regional water authority.  

“I tell my team no deal is better than a bad deal — and right now it’s a bad deal, so we’re probably going to walk,” Patterson told a crowd of public officials at Governing magazine’s Outlook in the States & Localities conference.

Question: So, if Oakland County doesn't want to participate in a new regional water and sewer authority, what's Plan B look like?   

Update (2/5): The Detroit News reports this morning that suburban leaders are still asking DWSD and the Emergency Manager for "more information" to evaluate the the proposed new authority. What's missing, and why can't DWSD fill in the gaps? Are Oakland and Macomb Counties seeking answers, or a degree of certainty that does not exist? I think we can agree there are "known unknowns" that will have to be addressed (and paid for) as they arise.

Update (2/19): MLive.com is reporting here that Detroit officials delivered some of the long-awaited financial data to Oakland County officials earlier this week. Suburban officials had been seeking the 2013 audited financial reports for DWSD. The article does not indicate whether that's the specific data that was produced, and DWSD's website is still only showing the 2012 report.      

For more about DWSD Update, click here  

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