Attorney Todd Perkins
A Wayne County Circuit Court judge's ruling on Friday could embolden the city of Detroit’s water department to make good on a threat to shut off water service to the city of Highland Park on May 1, the Highland Park city attorney says.
Wayne County Judge John Murphy granted a $20 million judgment against the city of Highland Park on behalf of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, which says Highland Park owes the money for delinquent water bills and services.
“It could be a calamity of magnanimous proportion," Highland Park City Attorney Todd Perkins said of the shutoffs, citing health concerns as a big issue.
If the city of Detroit decided to follow through with the shutoffs, it would not only be a big problem for Highland Park water customers, but it would also be a public relations nightmare for the city of Detroit which caught grief internationally when it went on a campaign to shut off water for Detroiters who failed to pay delinquent bills.
Perkins said Friday he's exploring legal strategy to prevent shutoffs for the city of Highland Park, which collects money for the water from commercial and residential customers and turns it over to Detroit. He said Highland Park has had an issue with getting out accurate water bills to customers, and therefore, some customers have not been paying. He said the city is working to correct the problem.
The city of Detroit issued a statement Friday:
While DWSD cannot comment specifically on this case because of pending litigation, the department has been working diligently to improve its financial operations to ensure safe, reliable and accessible water and sewerage services for all its customers."
