PSC recommends a two-year hike in rate
By Tracy Ouellette
Editor
The East Troy Village Board members accepted the Public Service Commission’s recommendation to increase water utility rates by 13 percent for the next two years by a reluctant 5-2 vote at Monday night’s meeting.
In a memo to the board from Village Administrator Eileen Suhm, she told the board the original request from the village was a 14.25 percent increase, but the PSC proposed an interim rate increase of 13 percent “in order for us to meet revenue requirements, including all debt service payments and debt coverage requirements, for a period of two years.”
She went on to say the limited increase period was to allow the village to address “outstanding issues and prior board actions” and the village would have to undergo another rate case study in two years.
Jon Cameron, of Ehlers, spoke to the board about the reasoning behind the limited increase and the options for a long-term solution to the water utility shortfall.
Cameron said the problem basically comes down to the building bust of 2008 and the fact that area municipalities haven’t seen new construction rebound. Impact fees, which help fund increased services, have dried up, so the utility has to be funded by the water rates.
For the complete story, see the Jan. 20 edition of the East Troy Times.
