Village to seek $40 water bill increase

The Grafton Village Board on Monday unanimously decided to explore increasing water charges for residents by about  $40.43 per utility bill. 

The increase would cover a portion of the public fire protection charge, also known as a fire hydrant rental fee or Public Service Commission tariff, which pays for access to fire hydrants. 

The village has historically passed  some of this fee onto the fire department  — now the Ozaukee Central Fire Department serving Saukville and Grafton. The OCFD Board formally asked the board to review the charge at their May 28 meeting.

Since 1999, utility consumers have paid 75% of the charge, or $605,700 annually,   and the fire department the remaining 25%, or $216,300. The village’s annual fire protection charge is $822,000.

Village Trustee Sarah Scarpace said according to her research, no other municipality in Ozaukee County charges their fire departments, including the North Shore Fire Department, which like OCFD is a combined department. 

“The fire department is providing our municipality a service, so to me, it’s in poor taste for the village to be charging a fire department for water that they use to provide protection for us,” Scarpace said. 

Moving the total charge onto utility bills was one of three options presented in Village Administrator Jesse Thyes’ report. 

The other options included covering the cost with a tax levy, which Thyes discouraged, or billing the new OCFD the $216,300 fee per usual. 

“I don’t really like to see our users’ water bills go up any higher, but I think at this point in time it’s a good move,” Village President Dan Delorit said.

The village is already working on completing a water rate adjustment with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, which will hold a public hearing on the request June 20.

After the PSC releases its findings in July or August, the village will ask the commission to review the fire protection charge as well, a process Thyes predicts could be completed by the end of the year.

He noted in his report that the PSC could also decide to increase the total fire protection charge after review.