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La Crosse board backs stormwater rate increases, sends proposal to common council
Summary
The Board of Public Works voted 3-1 on June 2 to support a proposal raising the city’s stormwater utility rates beginning July 1, 2025, after a consultant warned current charges no longer cover operations, capital and reserve needs.
The Board of Public Works on Monday voted to recommend that the Common Council adopt a two-step increase to the city’s stormwater utility rates, beginning July 1, 2025, with a further increase effective Jan. 1, 2026.
The recommendation follows a rate study prepared by Trilogy Consulting that found current stormwater charges — unchanged in practice since 2012 — do not cover ongoing operation and maintenance expenses, routine capital renewals or needed reserves. The board’s endorsement will be forwarded to finance and policy committees and ultimately to the Common Council for final approval.
Trilogy Consulting’s Christy DeMaster, who led the study, told the board the utility was established in 2011 and the city initially set a rate well below the level the original study recommended. “We believe that these proposed rates would allow the utility to really fully fund all of the…
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