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The Detroit Documenters play a crucial role in improving our access to public information. They’re at Detroit’s public meetings, taking thorough notes on what local officials and community members are saying. 

But their coverage also includes Highland Park, the small city surrounded by Detroit. Water has been an ongoing problem for Highland Park and it’s in the early stages of replacing its 115-year-old water system. 

Residents faced two boil water advisories in the last month, but still remain hopeful that system updates can lead to a more reliable system and cheaper water bills. 

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt talked to Documenters Coordinator Noah Kincade and Michigan Public Data Reporter Adam Rayes to learn more about Highland Park’s system updates and water history. 

Rayes is also a Highland Park resident. Out of the many places he’s lived, he says the water bill has been the highest in Highland Park.

Residents are charged about $90 in additional fees that goes to system repairs and paying off the city’s Great Lakes Water Authority debt. 

“I’m looking at a bill of over $100 and if it wasn’t for those fees, I’d be paying way less,” Rayes said. “So it’s quite a hefty fee.”

The Heat and Warmth Fund, Wayne Metro Water Affordability Programs, and The Human Utility offer payment assistance and support to people living in Highland Park and across the metro area. 

Along with WDET, Michigan Public is one of Detroit Documenters’ media partners. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

More stories from The Metro on Monday, April 14:

• New series explores health care education, access for Bangladeshi women
• Detroiter tapped to lead National PAL’s youth mental health and wellness program
• New campaign demands accountability, systemic change for survivors of child abuse
• New book reexamines chronic absenteeism and potential solutions

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Eyes are glued to the NCAA’s March Madness, but there’s a different kind of March Madness going on in local government across Wayne County.  

Cities are wrapping up budget sessions and preparing for fiscal year 2025-26. 

Outlier Media, Bridge Detroit and Detroit Documenters have teamed up to cover all of the city’s 46 budget sessions in Detroit.  

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt spoke with Documenters Coordinator Noah Kincade and BridgeDetroit Reporter Kayleigh Lickliter.  

City budgets are the first glimpse at how officials are responding to residents’ concerns and the year ahead, Lichliter said.  A big part of budget session conversations this year is uncertainty surrounding federal funding going to cities. 

“I think for most cities, including Detroit, what they are looking to do is kind of reducing the reliance on federal funding.” Lichliter said. “And so fortunately, Detroit has a pretty stocked up rainy day fund.”

The last day for Detroit city council to vote on the budget is April 7 and it could be approved on April 15. 

The Detroit Documenters train and pay residents to cover local government meetings in southeast Michigan. You can hear conversations with the Detroit Documenters every Monday on The Metro. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, NPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Today on The Metro we bring you a conversation with the Detroit Documenters, an organization that trains and pays residents to cover government meetings in southeast Michigan. 

One thing Detroit Documenters is learning at recent meetings is that County Veteran Affairs offices across the state are in a tricky financial situation. Money they usually receive from the Michigan County Veteran Service Fund was miscalculated. 

This comes at a time when President Donald Trump and Elon Musk are cutting funds and firing people in the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, making all financial support more crucial than before.

Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt sat down with Documenter Marcia Hartman and Coordinator Noah Kincade to find out how this accounting came about and its effect on Wayne County. 

County VAs can apply for $50,000 to support veterans. Any money not used from this fund is pooled together and distributed based on the number of veterans living in counties. 

Kincade spoke to Christyn Herman, a public affairs officer at the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency. She said more counties used their initial $50,000 which shrank the pot being redistributed across the state. 

The Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency is planning visits and working with county VA offices across the state, Herman said. They understand less money going to counties means fewer veterans being helped. 

Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.

Each week on The Metro, we check in with the Detroit Documenters to hear about the important local meetings they’re following, and what other ways they’re supporting the community.

Last summer, Michigan’s Supreme Court ruled that Wayne County property owners who lost their homes to tax foreclosure between 2015 and 2020 are now owed the profits made from the sale of their homes. 

To reclaim that money, residents must file a claim with Wayne County by March 31.

The Documenters have been helping people with this process by phone banking to inform Detroiters how much money they’re possibly owed and how to apply. 

To hear more, The Metro Producer Jack Filbrandt sat down with Detroit Documenter Shiva Shahmir and Detroit Documenter Coordinator Lynelle Herndon, who led the phone banking project.

If you need help finding what Wayne County may owe you, text REPAY to 67485. An Outlier Media reporter will help answer your questions. Information is also available on the Wayne County Treasurer’s website. Those interested in helping with Detroit Documenter’s phone banking can sign up here.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.