Pro-divestment protest at Wayne State University and more updates from public meetings

The Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA) regular Board of Directors meeting included a public hearing on proposed capital improvement projects — but there were no public comments. Conversely there were several public comments in the Michigan Public Service Commission prehearing for just the latest DTE rate hike request . And pro-divestment protesters were physically removed from the Wayne State University Board of Governors meeting.

Utilities

GLWA’s board held a public hearing for proposed capital improvement projects , but there was no public comment and all three plans were adopted . One project will address poor conditions of 19 outfall sewers along the Rouge River that currently contribute to floods that have damaged residents’ basements. The upgrades are expected to cost $10 million and extend the service life of the sewers by 25-30 years.

A second project to rehabilitate the 7 Mile Sewer System is expected to cost $30 million and extend service life by 25-30 years. Other work, which will include system upgrades at various pumping stations and treatment facilities to improve disinfection and flushing operations, is expected to cost $51 million.

4/24/2024 Great Lakes Water Authority Board of Directors, documented by A J Johnson and Meghan Rutigliano

The Michigan Public Service Commission held a prehearing for yet another proposed electricity rate increase by DTE Energy. The commission just approved the utility’s $368.1 million rate increase in December . The current $456 million request is expected to increase residential energy bills by about $11 a month.

Public commenters were opposed to the latest proposed rate hike. They expressed concerns about energy accessibility, affordability and the utility’s lack of investment in infrastructure upgrades. Commissioners agreed to move forward with a hearing schedule for the rate case beginning with filings in July. A final decision is expected in December.

You can follow the hearing schedule, DTE’s supporting documents, the commission’s rulings and public comments about Case U-21534 , which was filed through a subsidiary of DTE. You can also submit a comment online .

4/26/2024 Michigan Public Service Commission, DTE Electric Co. Pre-Hearing, documented by Heather Alder and Sonja Stuckey

Education

Wayne State University is among the ranks of major universities experiencing heightened responses to student activism relating to the conflict in Gaza.

Public comments at Friday’s Board of Governors meeting took place under the watchful eye of a fire marshal, who limited access to the room: It reached full capacity prior to the meeting’s start. The majority of comments concerned the board’s refusal to address a Student Senate resolution . The senate is requesting the board prohibit the university from investing in companies that profit from war or “benefit from human rights violations in Palestine and around the world.”

As the meeting shifted to regular business items, protesters chanted and unfurled a banner. Some protesters did not leave when requested by university police, and officers pushed them out of the meeting room .

The pro-divestment protest largely overshadowed public comments from the Wayne Academic Union . With more than 50 members present, most carrying signs , the union called on the board to offer fair contracts to its member employees.

4/26/2024 Wayne State University Board of Governors, documented by Perry Sylvester and Shiva Shahmir

Housing

Still operating without a new memorandum of understanding from City Council, the Detroit Land Bank Authority took partial credit for an 80% increase in the net value of Black homeowners’ properties in the city from 2014-2022, according to a recent University of Michigan report .

4/23/2024 Detroit Land Bank Authority Board of Directors, documented by Amber Umscheid and Deandrea White

This story was written by Outlier Media’s Lynelle Herndon and Noah Kincade, and Detroit Documenters Meghan Rutigliano and Perry Sylvester.

Pro-divestment protest at Wayne State University and more updates from public meetings · Outlier Media