In an announcement today, Flint Emergency Manager Darnell Earley said that the City of Flint water issues will be one of the key concerns in his new role and a top priority for the team. With the major decision to join the Karegnondi Water Authority made and the beginning of construction on the water intake and pipeline approaching, Earley expressed his commitment to thoroughly reviewing and assessing the scope of the issues in the following statement:

"Good management can only be accomplished with a careful examination of facts. I want my efforts  to reflect data driven decisions made with the most accurate information obtainable. As I said when I arrived, I will be making the areas of most concern to Flint residents my top priorities; the future of Flint's water supply, water system and the cost of operation and maintenance are as important to Flint residents as public safety or any other major obligations of a full service city such as Flint."

"I also want to be transparent in what we glean from this exercise; through this initiative I will keep the public as informed on the process as I am as we go forth. It is for that reason that I plan to examine this issue with the help of an independent, third party consultant in order to make a fair and impartial assessment. The goal of this assessment is to ensure the long term costs of the KWA decision are accurately and openly reflected in the water rates charged to residents and businesses."

"Water prices are a key concern to Flint water users, so as we look forward we want to provide them with an understanding of how they are set and to inform residents of available assistance. We currently have a poverty exemption for a portion of water and sewer charges available to low income homeowners and a lowered water deposit for low income renters. The City of Flint has done all that it can in the short term to ease the burden of water increases. Now is the time to look to the future; we want to ensure that our residents get the best possible service at the best cost through a sustainable system and a process that is self supporting for decades to come."

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