Water shutoff notice on Wayne County court was false alarm
April Fools' Day came early at Wayne County's new criminal justice complex.
A water shutoff notice appeared on the front entrance of 3rd Circuit Court on Russell Street Thursday morning, said retired Wayne County Sheriff's Cpl. Reggie Crawford, who received the image from a staff member and shared the image on social media.
It declared a 'severe past due water and sewer bill' and indicated that in 10 days, water would cease flowing to the circuit court that handles tens of thousands of cases per year.
The notice belonged on a nearby fire hydrant.
According to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, 'the shutoff notice on the building was placed at the wrong location.'
The outstanding hydrant bill —$800 — was in fact for a metered hydrant used during construction by complex contractor Barton Malow. The justice complex — which includes the jail, court and offices — is all paid up.
'Wayne County is making arrangements to pay the account,' Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) Bryan Peckinpaugh said. 'The building and complex itself was not at-risk of water shutoff. The notice was not related to any water account associated with the building and the complex itself.'
More: What Mayor Mike Duggan would change in southwest Detroit water main break response
Nevertheless, the mistake did reveal a past payment issue. When asked about any outstanding balances for the criminal justice complex, county spokesman Doda Lulgjuraj said the county's Facilities and Maintenance Team had not received bills for the site in December and January, but that it had since paid them. DWSD confirmed the county was current on its bills.
"The check for payment was processed prior to our receipt of this notice," Lulgjuraj said. "The Facilities Management and Planning Department did not receive bills for December or January, and we are currently investigating the cause. In addition, we are working with DWSD to ensure that future bills are directed to the correct departments to prevent similar issues from occurring."
In 2024, after DWSD resumed its controversial water shutoff program following a pandemic-era pause, the Free Press reported that agency policy is to shut off any account with an overdue balance of $150 or more and that is 60 days behind. At the time, the agency told the paper it was focusing on large delinquent balances of at least $5,000.
Violet Ikonomova is a reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at vikonomova@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Water shutoff notice on Wayne County court was false alarm
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