Frequently Asked Questions

As a public water provider, the City of Grand Ledge can only charge customers for the costs associated with providing water service, which means it cannot earn a profit. The City provides water and wastewater collection for more than 3,800 customers across approximately 4 square miles.

There is no profit from utility bill revenue or rate adjustments; all revenue is spent on the water or sewer systems. Property taxes do not pay for our water system. We can’t take revenue from water bills to pay for a new playground. Likewise, we do not use property tax revenue to pay for water system improvements.

To review current budgets, fee schedules, and other financial information, please visit our Budget & Finances page.

The City of Grand Ledge is dedicated to setting water and wastewater rates that treat customers fairly and reflect the true cost of service while protecting the City’s financial stability. Recent water and wastewater rate increases reflect the necessary adjustments needed to ensure the City provides the operation and maintenance required for the water and wastewater systems. Adequate funding levels are critical to the delivery of a safe and reliable supply of water. The City adopts a budget each year to support the water/sewer systems in Grand Ledge. The budget must meet the needs of the system and in return the rates must support the budget. 

Every year, the Michigan Rural Water Association presents a rate analysis to ensure monthly utility rates are reasonable and support both short and long-term goals of our water and sewer infrastructure. This analysis is available on the My Utilities page.

For every $1 paid toward property taxes, the City of Grand Ledge receives approximately 24 cents if the taxpayer lives in the City or approximately 17 cents if the taxpayer owns property in the City. The balance of taxes paid is appropriated to other entities. The tax allocation could not support a user-based utility such as the City’s water and wastewater, which has operational costs and user fees dependent on use. The vast majority of municipalities charge customers fixed and variable rate water/wastewater fees to cover costs associated with adequately operating water and wastewater utilities.

There is no profit from utility bill revenue or rate adjustments; all revenue is spent on the water or sewer systems. Property taxes do not pay for our water system. We can’t take revenue from water bills to pay for a new playground. Likewise, we do not use property tax revenue to pay for water system improvements.

Learn more about the City's budget and financial information here.