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Onalaska committee backs moving public fire protection charge from property tax to water bill
Summary
After a presentation from municipal finance consultants, the Board of Public Works and Utilities voted unanimously to forward a resolution asking the City Council to convert the city—s property-tax-funded public fire protection (PFP) levy to a direct charge on water bills.
The Onalaska Board of Public Works and Utilities voted unanimously Sept. 2 to forward a resolution to the City Council asking that the remaining portion of the city—s public fire protection charge be converted from the property tax levy to a direct charge on water bills. The board approved Resolution 21-2025 to authorize the change and asked staff to file the special application with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission if required.
A consultant from Ehlers explained why the city is pursuing the change and how it would affect customers. "It is just for the oversizing of your water system to help provide the water pressure to fight fires," said Brian Romer of Ehlers, describing the public fire protection charge as a cost tied to water-system components such as hydrants, oversized mains…
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