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JULY 9, 2025 • Vol. 22, No. 16
Water, sewer rates rise in West Bloomfield BY GENA JOHNSON gjohnson@candgnews.com
See WATER/SEWER on page 13A
File photo by Donna Agusti
Cass Lake in Keego Harbor was the site of a drowning June 22. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard encourages wearing a flotation device even if someone is a strong swimmer.
DETROIT MAN DROWNS IN CASS LAKE BY GENA JOHNSON
gjohnson@candgnews.com
KEEGO HARBOR — Tragedy struck a group of five fishing on Cass Lake when one of them misjudged the depth of the water and died from drowning. The deceased is Jaylen Brickerson, 26, of Detroit. He drowned in Cass Lake June 22.
According to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, Brickerson entered Cass Lake from a boat to cool off and float, thinking the water was shallow. He was with four other people on the 20-foot boat, which had been trolling over a sandbar. The boat had apparently moved, repositioning itself over deeper water, according to the sheriff. See DROWNING on page 10A
OAKLAND COUNTY SHERIFF SHARES WATER SAFETY TIPS STORY ON PAGE 3A
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WEST BLOOMFIELD — During a meeting of the West Bloomfield Board of Trustees June 23, members voted for a 23% water rate increase and 13% sewer rate increase, an option referred to as “Rip the Band-Aid Off.” The change went into effect with the July 1 meter reading. The “Rip the Band-Aid Off ” model starts off with the highest rate increases for both water and sewer, followed by four years of the lowest increases at around 4% increase for each year. The township’s director of finance, Susan Hendrick, recommended the option, as did the township’s director of water and sewer utilities, Justin Taylor. “We would end up at the end of five years with the lowest rate, though it is a large increase in the first year,” Hendrick said. Brian Camiller, an accountant with Plante Moran, conducted the water sewer rate study for the township and presented his findings at the June 3 meeting and at a June 10 work session. Three models were discussed. In addition to “Rip the Band-Aid Off,” there was an option called “Steady Eddie” where the increase would be the same each year for five years, estimated at around 10% each year for water and 7% for sewer, and “Slower Band-Aid Pull,” which starts