Green Bay committee approves promissory note to match Safe Drinking Water loan for private-side lead service replacements

The Green Bay Finance Committee on May 13 approved a resolution authorizing the sale and issuance of a taxable general-obligation promissory note to provide a local match for a Safe Drinking Water loan program on behalf of the Water Utility.

City water-utility staff told the committee that the remaining inventory of service lines includes about 90 private-side services — the pipes on private property between the utility’s meter and the house. "These are, 90 private side. So these are our citizens," a water-utility staff member said, noting the public-side celebration in 2020 had marked completion of utility-owned replacements.

Staff explained that prior grants from the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) provided principal forgiveness that covered public-side replacements. Under the current federal/state funding mechanism, however, the loan program’s terms limit principal forgiveness to 75 percent; the remaining 25 percent must be covered by the property owner or through other non-ratepayer city funds. The Public Service Commission’s rules prevent the Water Utility from using ratepayer funds to cover private-property work, so the city will issue the note and the utility will repay the city from permitted non-ratepayer sources such as interest earnings or dues.

Water-utility staff said they have identified the affected properties, have sent letters to owners, and that many property owners already have contractors lined up and are waiting for the funding to proceed. The program runs through December 2026, staff said.

Committee members asked about outreach and holdouts; staff said some properties were found through meter work and on-site checks and that the city contacts property owners as replacements are identified. The resolution passed with committee approval.