The Ypsilanti Community Utility Authority board says it's satisfied with reforms at the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. The board is also considering how it will better communicate to residents its role in advising the agency from which it buys water and sewer service.

The Ypsilanti board discussed the issues at its regular monthly meeting Tuesday morning. The conversation was informational and no action was taken.

Many county and suburban leaders have been calling for the creation of a regional water authority following recent concerns involving contracts by the DSWD. Those contracts led to increased rates for suburban customers, who make up a larger percentage of the DWSD’s customer base than city residents.

Federal prosecutors allege Victor Mercado, the former head of the DWSD, awarded contracts to companies run by Bobby Ferguson, a longtime friend of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Investigators say Mercado did so at the direction of Kilpatrick.

YCUA customers will see an increase in their water rates next year as they did this year, though it is uncertain what, if any, of those increases is related to the contracts under investigation.

Legislation to create a regional water authority is currently before the Statehouse, and Detroit Mayor Dave Bing recently altered the makeup of the DWSD board. The new Board of Water Commissioners will be comprised of seven members. Bing will appoint four, and each of the system’s three largest counties — Wayne, Macomb and Oakland — will send one representative.

Rate changes and expenditures must be approved by a supermajority of five votes, and then receive approval from the Detroit City Council. The changes were announced earlier this month and will take affect in April.

YCUA Director Larry Thomas told board members at Tuesday’s meeting that he's comfortable with the level of input the YCUA has and with his role on the DWSD’s Technical Advisory Committee. Thomas also serves on the water rates subcommittee of that board.

He said the group meets quarterly and is comprised of representatives from the suburban communities, as well as DWSD officials. He said the board discusses items such as rate structures and expenses. The committee cannot change policy, but Thomas said its recommendations are taken seriously.

“I think they definitely are hearing us and implementing many of the recommendations of the TAC,” Thomas said. “I’m comfortable with our input on their operations. Obviously, they approved contracts that they shouldn’t have approved, but we’re not privy to those contracts.”

YCUA Treasurer Deedra Climer Bass said the issue concerns her because residents are asking why the YCUA continues buying from Detroit and what the board is doing about the issues.

“I was the one who asked to have this on the agenda because people are asking about it and I would like to know whether we have, as a board, a position on what the best way to go is,” she said. “I think people feel like we are being led around with a ring through our nose by Detroit, and to some extent we are.”

She questioned whether there could be an additional seat on the Board of Water Commissioners for communities in outlying counties such as Washtenaw or Genesee. Short of that, she suggested increased communication about the Technical Advisory Committee’s activities.

“I’ll keep the board informed to let them know what's happening at TAC meetings, and we’ll make a decision about whether we want to make a press release, public notice or that sort of thing,” Thomas said after the meeting.

Climer Bass said one of the things she has been hearing are questions about why the YCUA doesn’t instead buy water from Ann Arbor. Several board members pointed to the costs and the lack of available water.

“I don’t think Ann Arbor has the capacity to supply us,” Thomas said. “Ann Arbor treats its water from a combination of ground and river water, and they are basically using all that’s available to use. The (Huron River) is a big river, but Ann Arbor uses a lot of water and our system is about the same size as theirs. It’s my belief there’s no way they could double the raw water.”

Ypsilanti Council Member Pete Murdock was the lone City of Ypsilanti representative in the audience. He said the reforms in Detroit will help alleviate some of the issues and added that the YCUA’s relationship with DWSD has always been good.

He also said Ypsilanti’s water rates are cheaper than most surrounding communities’ in the Detroit system because of how the YCUA has managed its water. Buying water from Ann Arbor isn’t an option, he said.

“We get this interest everytime there’s a problem from the City of Detroit; ‘Let’s get our water from somewhere else' — well we don’t get our water from somewhere else because there isn’t a viable option,” he said.

Tom Perkins is a freelance reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at 734-623-2530 or news@annarbor.com.