West Bend BID agrees to cover downtown water-meter costs for 2025; will revisit during budget process

The West Bend Business Improvement District voted informally to cover the downtown water-meter costs for this year while deferring a decision on longer-term responsibility until the board’s regular budget discussions in August and September.

The decision followed a staff summary that three of five downtown meters had been moved onto the BID’s billing in June 2024 and that the board only recently learned it had been assigned that cost. John (Executive Director) told the board the meters were installed with Main Street reconstruction and were intended to make it easier for the volunteer group Roots & Branches to water downtown plantings.

“One of the meters will probably be used by our contractor for watering the plants downtown,” John said, explaining the contractor uses both larger and smaller water rigs and that one spigot is most accessible for scheduled watering. He warned that water bills vary by season and that the utility charges include a spring re‑installation fee of $50 per outside meter.

Staff estimated an annual operating cost of roughly $250–$300 per meter depending on usage and the spring re‑installation fee; those figures reflect assumptions based on last year’s partial billing and a dryer or wetter summer would change the totals. John and board members said actual usage data for a full calendar year would give a clearer basis for budgeting.

Board members discussed three options: have the BID continue paying the meters as a BID expense, treat the cost as part of the BID’s donation to Roots & Branches and roll it into that line item, or ask the water utility to change the account billing to another party (city, property owner, or Roots & Branches). Several members favored adding the meters’ costs into the Roots & Branches contribution for this year and then reviewing the arrangement during the regular budget cycle.

The board’s practical direction was to pay the current bills now and include the meters and any additional contribution for Roots & Branches in August–September budgeting so the group and the BID would have a fuller year of usage data to make a longer‑term decision. That direction was confirmed by verbal consent at the meeting; there was no formal recorded roll‑call vote on the item.

Staff added that the water utility can reassign meter billing to another account but that doing so involves administrative steps and local politics, and that Roots & Branches volunteers have differing views about whether they would prefer the meters moved to their name.

Next steps: staff will pay the immediate bills from the BID accounts for 2025, track meter usage and costs through the summer, and bring a recommendation with actual usage figures to the board during the August–September budget process.