May Bulletin - May 14, 2003

Dear Southwest Community Neighbor,

     Good news!  The crime stats for our community were down for the fourth consecutive month!  Our efforts are working.  Yes, it really does take the efforts of neighbors working together to keep our community safe.  Thanks for helping!  These are the crime stats for March 2003: (Thanks to Larry Murphy for getting the statistics for us.)

Interested in working with your neighbors to make our community safer?   Here are some ways you can help:

1.  Attend the next Crime Watch meeting: Neithercut School, Thursday, May 22 at 7pm.

2.  Become a SW Crime Watch patroller.  For more information, call our patrol coordinators, Juanita and Lorenzo Berlanga at 233-4514.  Application forms are available on the backs of the paper bulletins as well as this site.

3.  Help deliver the bulletin each month.  Call our bulletin delivery coordinator, Debbie Ramsey (810-814-3953), for more information and a delivery route.

4.  Be observant.  Call 911 to report any suspicious activity and/or "suspected prowler".

5.  Turn on your porch/yard lights.  Trim trees and bushes so that they are not hiding places.

6.  Install motion detectors on your house and garage.

7.  Make a monetary donation.  Checks (payable to the Southwest Crime Watch may be mailed to: Southwest Crime Watch, P.O. Box 7391, Flint, MI 48507-0391

The proposed increase in water rates was the concern we addressed with Councilman Larry Murphy at last month's meeting.  Larry provided us with information that we did not read in The Flint Journal.  I believe you will find the following excepts from an article in The Detroit Free Press (02/07/03) very interesting and thought-provoking.  Are we being served?

Water rates create flood of protests
Flint and Warren officials give Detroit and earful

February 7, 2003

BY ERIK LORDS
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Water officials from as far away as Flint lined up at the podium at the Detroit City Council meeting Thursday to complain about what they said were miscalculations or overcharges that have made rates too high.

Officials from Flint, faced with a 38-percent rate increase this year, accused Detroit of overcharging.  Last year, Flint's rates rose 16-percent.

"What they gave us was far above what was reflected in our analysis of our own usage," said Darnell Earley, Flint city administator.  "It was more than double what we expected."

Detroit officials said the increase is based on how much water Flint typically uses during peak hours.

"We provided them with data showing that our rates should be much lower, but they have not commited to do anything but look at the information we gave them, " Earley said.

Water department spokesman George Ellenwood said Flint's information arrived a month late; if any adjustment is needed, it would have to be made in fiscal 2004-05.

Earley said Flint will continue to seek relief.