The Department of Public Services of the City of Farmington Hills, Mich., prides itself on providing the “meat and potatoes” of city services at a responsible price to customers. The city’s most recent major undertaking is the construction of a 3 million gallon water tower, a $16.9 million project expected to save water customers $3.5 million annually by reducing peak demand on the system.

Farmington Hills is a city of about 80,000 people located a half-hour’s drive northwest of Detroit. Its city services — roads and roadways, water mains and sanitary sewers, rubbish removal and recycling — are all managed by the Department of Public Services. The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD) provides all of the city’s water and sewage needs.