Pewaukee committee backs proposal to cap connection assessments near $51,000; council to review

Pewaukee’s Public Works Committee discussed a proposed cap on water and sewer connection assessments and technical approaches to serving properties where topography would force very deep gravity mains.

Public works staff said the common council is considering a cap set near the recent average assessment levels and that staff recommended basing a cap on the average assessments. The staff member said, “I believe the water in total, it's right around $51,000 between water and sewer,” and summarized the split as “just over $20,000 for the water and, just under $30,000 for the sewer.”

Committee members asked about geographic scope and whether the city would require some areas to remain on well and septic. Staff said that question will be part of follow-up discussions as the council develops policy on whether to provide service to the entire community or recommend areas remain on well and septic.

The committee also heard engineering considerations for serving four properties in a northwest quadrant where gravity service would require sewage mains nearly 50 feet deep. Staff said using individual lift stations and a force main into the gravity system would avoid the extreme depth, reducing the deepest gravity sections to about 25 feet and avoiding costly easement acquisitions near private houses.

No formal policy was adopted. Staff will provide additional valuation information about developer-installed sewer and water (the “value of sewer and water they’re installing”) and return the cap recommendation to the common council on June 2; a special meeting on a Hickory Grove sewer extension and road reconstruction was scheduled the following week.

Committee members also noted cost-savings when projects are combined (for example, doing road and sewer work together). The committee did not set a final cap but directed staff to supply the requested additional data to the council.