La Crosse committee rejects proposed stormwater rate increase after public opposition and staff warnings

The Finance and Personnel Committee on June 5 rejected a resolution that would have raised La Crosse stormwater utility rates in two phases, a move city staff said was needed to restore dwindling reserves and meet state regulatory obligations.

The measure would have increased the stormwater charge to $29.66 per quarter per equivalent runoff unit in 2025 and to $36.18 per quarter in 2026, with 3% annual inflation adjustments after 2026. Tina Erickson, the utilities finance and compliance manager, told the committee the combined two-step increase would add about $7.57 per month to the average residential customer’s bill — $5.40 per month in the first phase and $2.17 per month the following year — and that credits of up to 80% remain available under the city’s stormwater credit policy.

The decision follows a presentation by Christy Dimaster of Trilogy Consulting, who outlined that reserves had been drawn down sharply in recent years (about $4.5 million drawn from roughly $5 million at the end of 2021) and that current user charges, set when the utility was created, no longer cover operating, maintenance and routine…