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City hires Ehlers to study public fire protection charge conversion; implementation targeted for Jan. 1, 2026
Summary
The council reviewed and accepted a proposal from financial consultant Ehlers to prepare calculations and options for converting public fire protection charges on water bills; staff said the city aims to implement changes on Jan. 1, 2026 and the contract cost is $3,500 within existing budget authority.
The Onalaska Common Council reviewed a proposal from financial advisor Ehlers to perform a study and calculations related to converting public fire protection charges that appear on water bills. Finance Director Sabrina Steger said the city engaged Ehlers following council direction at the budget meeting and that the city aims for implementation on Jan. 1, 2026.
Steger said the scope includes providing calculations and analysis showing how the change would affect customers; the consultant’s fee is $3,500 and will be paid from existing funds in the current budget. Jared Holter and Steger prepared preliminary, rough calculations but told council they expect Ehlers to supply the official computations and recommended implementation options.
Steger said the administrator authorized proceeding because the cost is below thresholds requiring additional council approval; the council was asked to note the contract and the staff plan to return with results and recommended changes in the coming months. No formal vote was required at the July 1 meeting; staff said they are seeking a target implementation date of Jan. 1, 2026 but did not provide a specific delivery date for the consultant report.
