Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05) issued the following statement today after Governor Snyder announced that the city of Flint would reconnect to the Detroit water system:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 9, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — “Reconnecting to the Detroit water system is the right next step to provide Flint residents with safe drinking water. But how Flint pays for safe water until the Karegnondi Water Authority is operational is a separate question.
“Flint is a financially distressed city, and it should not have to empty out its bank account to pay for the state’s failures. The decision to switch to the Flint River water source was made while the city was under state emergency management, and now it is incumbent on Governor Snyder and the state to fix – and pay – for the problem they created.
“Flint paying anything for the problem that the state created in the first place means that other improvements, including to the city’s aging water infrastructure system, could be delayed. This is especially troublesome considering that the state of Michigan has consistently cut tens of millions of dollars of revenue sharing to the city of Flint in recent years.
“Flint residents are also Michigan residents, who pay state taxes and, like every other city in our state, expect clean and safe drinking water. The state of Michigan created this problem, and they need to pay for the solution to fix it.”
