Monday, May 13, 2013
The City of Waukesha will move forward with its application to Great Lakes water while excluding the majority of the Town of Waukesha in its future water service area.
The Town of Waukesha has finally made a decision on whether it wants to be included in the city’s future water service area after two years of deliberations. While the town board months ago ruled that it only wanted properties north of Highway 164 and east of Meadowbrook Road included in the city’s future water service area, it confirmed its decision after new board members were elected in April. The move sets the stage for more annexation requests. More than 300 acres of town land have been annexed already, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and requests are expected. Property owners representing more than 1,000 acres of land are prepared to annex into the city if the properties are not included in the future water service area…
Thursday, March 14, 2013
The Waukesha Common Council will ultimately decide if undeveloped property owned by the Waukesha School District can move from the town to the city.
The Waukesha School District’s petition to annex property along Highway TT and Macarthur Road into the City of Waukesha over a municipal water clash with the Town of Waukesha is moving forward. Superintendent Todd Gray told the Waukesha School Board that the Plan Commission approved the request to annex nearly 130 acres Wednesday night. The annexation request will be heard by the Waukesha Common Council before it receives final approval. The annexation request comes after town officials excluded the property from the city’s future water service area as the city looks to purchase Lake Michigan water from Oak Creek. The Waukesha School District could build a school on the property in the future. The town’s ruling would leave the school …
Sunday, March 10, 2013
The School District of Waukesha contends it needs municipal water if it develop a school along Highway TT.
The Waukesha School District is petitioning to have nearly 130 acres of land located along Highway TT and MacArthur Road annexed from the Town of Waukesha into the city. The annexation request comes after town officials excluded the property from the city’s future water service area as the city looks to purchase Lake Michigan water from Oak Creek. The Waukesha School District could build a school on the property in the future. The town’s ruling would leave the school without a municipal water supply. The school district has invested $1.4 million in the property, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. A public hearing on the annexation request will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday during the Plan Commission meeting. If approved, the …
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Waukesha will seek $50 million in grants for Lake Michigan water project.
Could Waukesha get federal funding to help build its pipeline to Oak Creek to purchase Lake Michigan water? Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak will soon travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with top Wisconsin political figures as the city will seek $50 million in grants, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Waukesha Water Utility staff have frequently said they will seek grants as they work on a massive project addressing Waukesha’s water quality. Waukesha is planning a $183 million pipeline to Oak Creek to address problems with its declining water quality and water supply. The Waukesha Water Utility spent a year-and-a-half in negotiations with Oak Creek and Racine over getting Lake Michigan water. Waukesha still …
Thursday, February 14, 2013
The School District of Waukesha is unhappy that a decision by the Town of Waukesha would exclude its property from receiving municipal water from the City of Waukesha.
Disagreements about the City of Waukesha’s future water service area with the Town of Waukesha is becoming a problem for the School District of Waukesha. The future water service, which was designated by the Southeastern Regional Planning Commission, included portions of the Town of Waukesha. While the water service area would allow certain town properties to obtain Lake Michigan water if the city is successful in its diversion request through the Great Lakes Compact, the town has opted to exclude all properties south of the Highway 59 area. But the School District of Waukesha has a $1.4 million property that is located outside of the revised future water service area – and the district wants to use municipal water and sewer at the …
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
While a water sales agreement between Oak Creek and Waukesha is in limbo following a controversial Public Service Commission ruling, a key issue has been resolved.
Waukesha will move forward with a water deal with Oak Creek after language was changed in the letter of intent that satisfies some of Oak Creek’s concerns about compensation. An Oct. 3 ruling by the Public Service Commission (PSC), the regulating body for utilities in Wisconsin, delayed the water deal between the two cities. The ruling came one day after Oak Creek and Waukesha both agreed to proceed with a water deal, followed an appeal by Oak Creek in which the city asked the commission to reconsider parts of a decision regarding a rate increase originally requested in May 2011. Oak Creek is selling water to Franklin, but the PSC approved a greater rate increase for Oak Creek residents than it allowed for an increased charged to Franklin …
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
With just two hours notice, Town of Waukesha Board of Supervisors agrees to officially release negotiation letter after the confidential document was given to the Waukesha Freeman.
Editor's Note: This article was updated at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. A confidential letter about the City of Waukesha’s future water service area that was “leaked” to the Waukesha Freeman ticked-off Town of Waukesha chairwoman, so she an emergency meeting over the release of the document. Angie Van Scyoc, while calling for the city to hold the person who leaked the document accountable, asked the Town of Waukesha Board of Supervisors to officially share the information as the city is viewing it as a public document since it was released to the Waukesha newspaper in its weekly meetings packet two weeks ago. “I am personally incredibly disappointed that we are in this situation,” said Van Scyoc. “We were working in good faith with the City of …
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett wants Waukesha to revise its future water service area after water deal with Oak Creek stumbles.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is calling on City of Waukesha leaders to revise its future water service area so Milwaukee can enter into a water deal with the city following Oak Creek's uncertainty in moving forward. “The Milwaukee Water Works could provide your residents with a healthy and sustainable supply of drinking water at a rate that our competitors cannot even come close to matching,” Barrett said in a letter Wednesday to Mayor Jeff Scrima and Alderman Paul Ybarra. “Our current comparable wholesale rate, for the City of West Allis, is $1.16 per thousand gallons. "In comparison, the wholesale rate contemplated in the Letter of Intent is $1.90 per thousand gallons, or 64.5 percent higher. My staff estimates that our lower cost would …
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
The Oak Creek Water and Sewer Utility says it can't continue talks with Waukesha about providing Lake Michigan water unless cost-sharing between Oak Creek and Franklin is worked out.
The Oak Creek Water and Sewer Utility says it's "willing to continue talks with Waukesha" about providing Lake Michigan water, but only if it can achieve fair cost sharing for its existing customers first. The utility released a statement Tuesday morning regarding the Public Service Commission's decision that shifted costs-of-service from Franklin to Oak Creek. If the decision stands, it will result in an average quarterly increase for Oak Creek of $17.06, compared to an $8.14 increase for Franklin, according to Oak Creek Water and Sewer Utility figures. Oak Creek is fighting the PSC's ruling, General Manager Steve Yttri said, but doesn't know when its appeal will be heard. The PSC decision came one day after the Oak Creek and Waukesha …
Thursday, October 4, 2012
At issue is the amount of money Oak Creek recoups from wholesale customers. Current rate distribution is inequitable, according to Oak Creek Water Utility manager.
A ruling Wednesday by the Public Service Commission (PSC), the regulating body for utilities in Wisconsin, has delayed and may ultimately sink a water deal between Oak Creek and Waukesha. The ruling on Wednesday, a day after Oak Creek and Waukesha both agreed to proceed with a water deal, followed an appeal by Oak Creek in which they asked the commission to reconsider parts of a decision regarding a rate increase originally requested in May 2011. An overall rate increase for Oak Creek was approved this July; however, Oak Creek appealed the ruling, requesting that the commission reconsider its decision to not allocate public fire protection costs to Franklin. Wednesday, the commission affirmed the July decision with the exception of two …
Steve Edlund
4:53 pm on Monday, May 13, 2013
For the school district the financial consequence had a net zero affect other than the aquisition of an adjacent property and legal fees which all came out of the land fund.. The district pays no property taxes. Recent articles and opinion pieces in the Freeman always refer to "property owners" and never home owners. I would imagine that property taxes and required improverments such as fire … more ›