The Detroit City Council has delayed voting on a contract to restructure the city’s water department.
Detroit’s board of water commissioners and Mayor Dave Bing have already approved a plan to contract Minneapolis-based EMA Consulting.
That firm plans to cut up to 80% of the water department’s workforce, and create “efficiencies” by privatizing many so-called “non-core” functions.
But after hearing public concern and anger about the plan, the Council decided to postpone a vote on the $48 million EMA contract.
In part, that’s because the Environmental Protection Agency asked the city not to take action before it can review the plan.
Councilman Ken Cockrel Junior says he want to hear from the EPA before moving ahead.
“The EPA has said they want 45 days to review that contract, and make sure there are no negative impacts,” Cockrel said. “I think when you have a federal agency that is charged with monitoring environmental quality for our country, and they say they need to look at this…I think we need to give them the time to do it.”
Detroit’s water department has been under a federal judge’s oversight since 1977, for periodic failures to comply with the Clean Water Act.
