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Waukesha council approves preliminary plan to assess homeowners for Silvernail Road sewer extension
Summary
The Common Council approved a preliminary resolution to assess adjacent property owners for a new sanitary sewer along Silvernail Road, reducing the proposed assessment to about $17,000 per property with a 10-year repayment at 5% interest; opponents at public comment urged the council to remove curb, gutter and sewer costs from homeowner bills.
The Waukesha Common Council approved a preliminary resolution Feb. 4 to assess property owners for a sanitary sewer extension along Silvernail Road, a step council and staff said will allow the city to install sewer while the roadway is reconstructed.
Council action sets proposed terms at roughly $17,000 per benefiting property, repayable over 10 years at 5% interest, according to staff presentation. The resolution was approved as a preliminary step; a final assessment resolution, a public hearing before the Board of Public Works and a final council vote are still required.
City staff said the sewer extension is tied to a 2025 capital improvement project to fully reconstruct Silvernail Road because the roadway is in poor condition. Staff argued installing sewer while the road is open prevents later, more expensive digging and restoration. "The contractor is there. It's not gonna get any cheaper," a staff member said during the presentation.
At the meeting, the Board of Public Workss earlier recommendation to halve an initial higher estimate was cited. Staff said the original assessment amounted to about $35,000 per property and that the board recommended reducing the city portion so the assessment on each benefiting property would be approximately $17,000; the agenda materials include the exact numbers.
During public comment, resident Katie Pudliner opposed assessing the nine homeowners on Silvernail Road for curb, gutter, storm sewer and a city sanitary connection. "We're in a rural area. We bought the land to be in a rural area. There's no need for curb and gutter and sidewalks to be going down Silverdale," Pudliner said. She also said a 10-year loan assessed to owners would be "ridiculous" and that many homeowners are elderly and on fixed incomes.
Several council members and staff acknowledged the financial strain on individual homeowners while emphasizing that many properties in the area rely on wells and septic systems that can fail over time. "These homes are gonna have to get on sewer sooner or later and it's less expensive" to install the line during road reconstruction, Alderman Rick Lemke said during debate.
City staff described the assessment process as a multi-step procedure: the council's preliminary approval tonight sets the amount and terms; a final assessment resolution and public hearing will follow at the Board of Public Works and again before the council. Staff also noted that the last comparable sewer assessment in the city occurred in 2002.
Action taken Feb. 4 approved the preliminary assessment resolution; council members voted to move the item forward. The final cost per property and final repayment schedule will be established in later proceedings, and materials attached to the council packet contain the exact dollar figures.
The councils approval does not force homeowners to immediately connect; city staff said the sewer would be installed to the terrace or easement and property owners could choose when to hook up in the future. The final assessment resolution and public hearing will provide an opportunity for affected property owners to raise additional questions or objections.
Votes and next steps: the council adopted the preliminary assessment resolution Feb. 4. A final assessment, a public hearing before the Board of Public Works and a final council vote are required before assessments are levied.
