Some Flint Residents Could Lose Their Homes Over Unpaid Water Bills

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They might might not be able to drink the water from the tap, but they still have to pay for it.

Thousands of people living in Flint, Michigan, could lose their homes because of unpaid water bills, even though the city's water system was plagued by dangerous levels of lead and its pipes are still being replaced.

The city sent out two letters to about 8,000 residents warning them they could get tax liens, which is a common method to cover delinquent taxes using someone's property, for water and sewer bills that are more than six months past due, Al Mooney, of Flint's treasury department, told BuzzFeed News. The letters are for two years of over due bills totaling more than $5 million.

"I got scared, for probably the first time since this all started this actually scared me," Melissa Mays, a mother and water activist, told NBC News. Mays recently received a notice that she had to pay $9,000 by May 19 to avoid a lien on her home.

The city, however, is in a bind. Cash-strapped and struggling to repair its now infamous water systems, Flint officials say people need to pay for the tap water they've been using, despite the fact many still cannot drink it without an approved filter.

“We are in a tough situation but customers were still using the water for other things like laundry and dishes," Mooney said. "We have to have that money come back."

If the 8,000 water and sewer bills are absolved, that would give the city nearly $6 million. Last month, similar warnings delivered about $3 million in overdue water bills, about $1 million more than the month before.

In a statement, city officials stressed that these notices are for water and sewer charges, which were not affected by the water crisis and "that the process involving the lien transfer to tax bills is routine and normally done every year. In Michigan, when water is provided to a property, a lien is automatically created.

But in a city still drinking bottled water and relying on filters over fears of lead contamination, the situation seems egregious.

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"I must say, I agree with those who have spoken out against this process. I have met with our Interim City Attorney and Finance Director and they say the city is obligated by local ordinance to follow this procedure, and we must follow the law," Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said in an emailed statement. "I am working to see if any changes or something can be done to help those affected by this, especially given the extraordinary circumstances we have endured due to the water crisis."

Flint’s water crisis sparked outrage and became a rallying cry for communities stuck with old, dilapidated water systems after high levels of lead were found in local children's blood. Residents, who were paying one of the highest water rates in the country, said the murky, brown water they had been drinking and bathing in caused rashes and made them ill. The federal government declared an emergency in January 2016, and the city has only recently started replacing its lead pipes, more than two years after residents began complaining.

Since then, 13 state and local officials were criminally charged and class action lawsuits were filed against the Environmental Protection Agency and local school districts.

Slammed for not protecting its residents, Michigan officials enacted a relief program. The state doled out $42 million in credits to help cover residents' utility bills dating back to 2014, which was when the crisis began after the city switched its water source from Detroit’s water system to the local Flint River in an attempt to save money. Officials also gave people a 65% discount on their water use each month.

But that program ended last month, despite the fact that at the end of April, the mayor said that nearly 20,000 Flint residences still have lead and galvanized service lines that need to be replaced.

Many decried Gov. Rick Snyder's decision to end the program, since the city still needs support.

“Flint families should not have to pay for water that they still cannot drink, and they certainly should not lose their homes over this ongoing water crisis that was caused by the callous decisions of state government," said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), who opposed cutting off relief.

But for now, Flint needs its residents to pay up.

"We would like all the assistance from the state we could get," Mooney said. "But this is where we are right now."

LINK: Thousands Of Lead Water Lines Will Be Replaced In Flint

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