By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Last week, as he discussed the merits of reviewing rate structure within the Town of Waterford Sanitary District No. 1 (WSD), chairman Dan Dickinson drew an analogy to the Pillsbury Dough Boy.
When you poke the dough boy, something else pops out, Dickinson said at a Feb. 12 meeting, during a discussion with other commissioners. “We don’t want to fix something in one area, and squeeze something out in another area,” he explained.
WSD’s three-person commission voted unanimously Feb. 12 in favor of hiring a consultant, Waukesha-based civil engineering firm Ruekert-Mielke, to review WSD’s existing rate classification structure.
The goal, Dickinson said, is to have an evenly proportionate system so all properties within WSD’s coverage area are on an even playing field.
“I was talking with someone over at Ruekert-Mielke, and he agreed our rate design is something that ought to be looked at,” Dickinson commented.
As part of their motion, the commission inserted one caveat – that Ruekert-Mielke’s rate analysis cannot exceed $2,500. Additional money, however, could be spent on legal expenses to draw up new ordinances if any are put in place to reflect changes in the rate structure.
Part of WSD’s challenge is the infrastructure that is in place. Some residents served by the district have meters to gauge usage during each billing period. But other property owners do not.
“We need to make sure our costs are appropriate,” Dickinson said. “In theory, there could be some changes. But if we don’t address this now, we run risks.”
Specific numbers were not discussed during last week’s meeting, but WSD commissioners said relatively few customers actually have meters.
Dickinson said the act of reading meters costs WSD, and he asserted the method in and of itself is a flaw in the existing rate structure.
Also, some of the district’s customers have little to no usage in specific periods of time, and the existing rate structure also does not fully take this scenario into account.
Another variable within WSD’s coverage area is the presence of the Western Racine County Sewerage District, which services some WSD customers and has a different method of doing business. WSD bills its customers on a quarterly basis.
It remains uncertain when exactly Ruekert-Mielke will present WSD with its findings. During this exploratory phase, Dickinson emphasized that nothing is set in stone.
“By entering into this agreement, it doesn’t mean we’re making any adjustments,” Dickinson noted. “We just want to do the evaluation and have a fixed rate structure in place.”
Commissioner Jeff Santaga said he believes the review is a good idea.
“I’m all for making it fair, across the board,” Santaga said. “If adjustments are needed, then we should go ahead and do them. People should be paying their fair share.”
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