Superior council reduces sewer rates

Jul. 19—SUPERIOR — Wastewater customers will get a break on their quarterly sewage bills starting in 2024.

On Tuesday, July 18, the Superior City Council amended its sewage ordinance to reduce the cost of the fixed rate from $5.50 to $4.50 per month and trimmed the variable rate from $7.71 to $7.50 per 100 cubic feet of water used.

The change will save ratepayers about 5% from what they are paying now and will go into effect Jan. 1, 2024.

"I am very proud of the changes we're proposing," said Councilor Jenny Van Sickle, chairperson of the Public Works Committee.

Mayor Jim Paine said he worked with Van Sickle, Finance Committee Chairman Jack Sweeney and the Public Works Department to develop the proposal to cut sewer rates.

The reduction is intended to slow growth in reserves held by the Environmental Services Division, which is expected to have about $6.2 million in reserve by the end of 2023.

Councilor Garner Moffat said he had concerns about the cuts.

Moffat said he took time Tuesday to meet with staff to learn more about the system and city meeting current standards for wastewater treatment. However, he said looking beyond current standards, there are future challenges with the group of chemicals known as PFAS; pharmaceuticals; and microplastics.

"I don't know what those anticipated system upgrades will be in the future to better deal with some of those," Moffat said. "I have a little bit of concern about the cost involved when we do those upgrades in the future."

Moffat proposed a lesser increase by setting the fixed rate at $5 per month and the variable rate at $7.60.

The motion failed to get a second.

"I don't think that this cut goes far enough, but I think that as a starting point, we are in a really strong position," Van Sickle said. "We are not spending all of the money that we have. It's going from taxpayers right into a savings account."

The fee reduction won't impact the expenses the Environmental Services Division has, she said.

"This will slow down the stockpiling of cash," Van Sickle said. "It's important to right size what we are collecting from taxpayers based on how much we can spend based on the budgets."

The Public Works Committee has thought long and hard about how to protect the lake and all the projects that are coming forward, she said.

Paine said he understood Moffat's concerns and shares them; however, the reason the city has built up a large cash balance is because of the extraordinary work performed at the Environmental Services Division.

"It came from a pretty bad place a little more than 10 years ago, with frequent permit violations," Paine said. "The staff and leadership there now have done tremendous work not only improving water quality and almost completely eliminating permit violations for extended periods of time. But their work has actually made the department more efficient. That is why a cash balance has built up, because they have done their jobs very well."

Moffat was the only councilor to vote against the proposed reductions as presented.

In other business, councilors:

* Approved purchasing

LED light fixtures

for East Second Street and Tower Avenue with grant funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law's Carbon Reduction Program.

* Adopted a resolution to submit a grant application to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Harbor Assistance Program on behalf of General Mills for a shoreline restoration project to protect critical systems for the company's operation at 2205 Winter St.