Bay City commissioners voted 6-2 Monday night to back Mayor Chris Girard's request that Michigan's attorney general investigate the company that collects tolls on the Independence and Liberty bridges. The vote came after months of friction between city hall and Bay City Bridge Partners over a planned 2027 toll hike, unpaid bills and what Girard says has been a breakdown in communication.
What the Commission Approved
According to WNEM, the commission's vote asks the attorney general's office to examine whether the company's tolling and collection practices comply with Michigan law. Commissioner Alexander DeWitt introduced the motion supporting Girard's letter, which the mayor sent to Attorney General Dana Nessel on Oct. 23, according to the seed reporting from the Midland Daily News. As of Monday night, there was no confirmation that the attorney general's office had actually opened a formal investigation, the station reported.
Commissioners Laura Kubit and Mark Zanotti cast the two dissenting votes. Zanotti argued the city cannot currently afford to buy out the company's contract and does not even know whether Bay City Bridge Partners would be willing to sell it, per the Midland Daily News. He also said the company has invested money in bridges that are no longer as widely used and that the operator needs to turn a profit.
A 75-Year Deal and a Disputed Toll Hike
The bridges themselves remain city property. Bay City still owns the Independence and Liberty bridges, while Bay City Bridge Partners operates them, WNEM notes. The arrangement traces back to 2019, when the city leased the crossings to the company under a 75-year agreement establishing toll collection in exchange for maintenance and operations, according to MLive.
That same report details the proposed 2027 increase at the center of the dispute: the company's first toll hike since the deal began, adding 50 cents per crossing for cars and pickup trucks starting Jan. 1, 2027. United Bridge Partners, the parent company, has said the toll structure and planned increases were established through its 2019 agreement with the city and fall within the contract's terms, per WNEM. The company also said it has invested $150 million into repairing and improving the bridges and has fulfilled its contractual obligations.
Girard Cites Silence From the Company
Girard said the company had not communicated directly with the city despite the city's attempts to reach it, and that the person currently in charge at Bay City Bridge Partners had not responded to the city's outreach, according to the Midland Daily News. The city's resolution states that company representatives had not appeared before commissioners at all in 2026, despite requests that they do so, WNEM reported.
City Manager Rik Hayman said Bay City Bridge Partners was delinquent on some bills owed to the city as of a couple of weeks before the Nov. 9 meeting, per the Midland Daily News. Girard said the city has a responsibility to hold the company accountable to its contract, and that the public should expect transparent operations, lawful enforcement and meaningful government oversight when crossing essential infrastructure. He added that he would rather the company fix its problems than add costs that could justify price changes.
Billing Complaints and a Stalled Signal Deal
The tension is not new. A February 2025 timeline from MLive described the relationship as mired by commission meeting complaints, long lines at the company's customer service center and lawsuits, and noted that the bridge work itself was finished but had done little to ease crossing the river for residents. That same report said the city was exploring whether an unexpected cost increase for some bridge users could constitute a breach of contract.
Residents have also raised complaints about incorrect bills and steep late fees reaching people statewide, according to Citizen Portal, though those remain reported complaints rather than independently confirmed findings. The company has said unpaid tolls do not affect a driver's ability to register or renew a vehicle registration, per WNEM. Separately, Citizen Portal reported that commissioners declined in October to bring a preliminary traffic-signal funding agreement involving the company to a vote after public criticism.
Girard told WCMU in October that he was concerned the proposed toll increases could breach the agreement, saying the city had not received documentation supporting the hike — a concern he raised, not a legal finding. The station reported the toll dispute was increasing tension between the company and city officials, in part due to the company announcing the 2027 increases without first holding a public forum for input. The Midland Daily News reported that Bay City Bridge Partners has appointed the firm Byrum & Fisk to take over public relations for the bridges.
