New WSD rates will soon kick in
By Patricia Bogumil
Interim editor
As an accomplished saxophonist, practicing attorney, and elected commissioner for the Waterford Sanitary District, Jeff Santaga has no need to toot his own horn.
But Santaga is quick to tout the merits of recent WSD initiatives – while also acknowledging that, in hindsight, something could have been handled better.
In an open, far-reaching discussion with the Waterford Post, Santaga shared his ideas about challenges now facing the District, including a controversial decision to add new charges for customers using WSD-owned grinder pumps.
Town hall sale
Last month, WSD Commission President Bill Gerard asked the town board to consider buying the town’s municipal building, which WSD owns.
The town board took a pass, tabling the notion with no action taken.
Right now, commissioners are considering the building’s return on investment, Santaga said, examining costs to maintain it vs. selling now at a lesser price to find something smaller and cheaper for WSD to maintain.
“The last thing we want is to be in the procurement and sale of real estate,” Santaga added.
“We’re not here to invest the users’ money, but looking at which might be the best use of the users’ money.”
In 1987, WSD bought the town hall from the Town of Waterford for $100,000 and gave the town a 99-year lease with a $1 annual rental fee.
That $1 per year doesn’t bring in nearly enough to cover the building’s operating and maintenance costs.
“As an attorney, I haven’t seen anything here to break the contract of the lease,” Santaga added. “It appears very valid.”
One non-selling point for potential buyers is the building’s 99-year, $1 per year lease with the town.
“There may be somebody out there who sees value in that,” Santaga said. “I think it’s our duty to check it out.”
People need to realize that whether the building is owned by WSD or the Town, someone has to pay for its maintenance – whether that be WSD users or town taxpayers, he added.
While almost every town taxpayer is a WSD user, it’s not an exact match, Santaga added. He estimated there are “under 100, probably” who live in the town but outside the Sanitary District.
Relatively speaking
Santaga acknowledged hearing comments that question the ethics of having a married couple both working for WSD.
Debbie Nelson, the WSD administrator, and Norm Nelson, the WSD Operations Superintendent, married after both were already working for the District, and neither works as the other’s supervisor, Santaga noted.
“I am very impressed with the work of both of them,” Santaga said, adding: “On a number of levels I don’t see anything wrong at all. Both do their jobs very, very well.”
New rates
A recent decision was made to begin charging 302 owners of WSD-owned grinder pumps an extra $90 annually.
That has lead to a hue and cry from some owners, who insist they received guarantees that WSD would own and maintain those pumps forever at District cost, according to contracts they signed back in the 1980s.
Santaga said hearing that does concern him. But he and others have looked hard to find a copy of a contract with those guarantees, and cannot come up with one, he said.
If anyone can provide such a document, “we’ll retract (the new rate charge) immediately,” Santaga said. “We’ll honor it.”
People may remember getting spoken guarantees along those lines, but that cannot be verified today, he added.
“Honestly, we’re doing what we think is the best for everyone,” Santaga added.
In preparing this year’s budget, “we took fresh looks at everything,” Santaga explained, and “one thing was how much was spent servicing.”
The costs to service the 302 WSD-owned pumps are now borne by all the
District’s 1,925 users, he noted. But commissioners believe it is fairer to have the 302 owners pick up the costs of the equipment used on their property.
Grinder pumps are used on properties where sewage must be pumped uphill to the main sewer.
The new grinder pump charges are due go into effect April 1.
Santaga said billing details are being discussed for when two or more properties share a grinder pump, and also how WSD will charge for maintenance expenses in that situation.
Rates are also going up April 1 for all the district’s 1,925 users, from a $110 regular quarterly fee to $115.
If he could do it over, he’d recommend that all 1,925 users be notified by mail of the new rates, Santaga said, rather than first learning of it by word of mouth or in the newspaper.
Before deciding to raise rates, commissioners cut where they could, Santaga added.
Salary costs are down and the District is moving forward with online billing to save on postage.
“There isn’t anything we’re not looking at to cut,” Santaga said. “Anything we can, we’re doing it.”
Santaga, who moved to Waterford about 15 years ago, said he loves his beautiful community but is concerned about some of the dynamics now in play.
“People are getting into it with each other and I’d rather see us get into it for the benefit of Waterford,” Santaga said.
Santaga is a corporate law attorney with Hanson & Santaga, S.C., Elm Grove. He is also a professional freelance musician, performing with artists such as Roberta Flack, the Temptations and Johnny Mathis.
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