Public utilities provide electric, gas, water or telephone service to customers in a specified area. Utilities have a duty to provide safe and adequate service on reasonable terms to anyone who lives within the service area on without discriminating between customers. Because most utilities operate in near monopolistic conditions, they can be heavily regulated by local, state, and federal authorities. Generally, the local and state agencies are called Public Service Commissions (PSC) or Public Utility Commissions (PUC). Municipal Utilities and Rural Electric Cooperatives may be unregulated though.
Oak Park is an affluent city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a suburb of Detroit. As of the 2000 census, its population is 29,793. The Census Bureau's 2007 population estimate places the population at 30,960. The Oak Park Department of Public Safety serves the community with Fire/Rescue and Police services. The 45-B District Court (Michelle Friedman Appel, David M. Gubow) has the jurisdictional bounds of City of Oak Park, City of Huntington Woods, City of Pleasant Ridge, and the Charter Township of Royal Oak.