Waukesha council approves preliminary special assessment to extend sewer on Silvernail Road

Waukesha Common Council members voted Feb. 4 to approve a preliminary resolution to assess adjacent property owners for the installation of a sanitary sewer along Silvernail Road as part of a planned road reconstruction.

The assessment would fund a sewer extension from Sussex Lane west along the south side of Silvernail Road. City staff told the council the sewer installation is included in the city's 2025 capital improvements program and that installing the line now while contractors are mobilized would avoid higher costs and road excavation later.

The council-approved preliminary resolution follows a unanimous recommendation from the Board of Public Works, which reduced an initial proposed assessment and set repayment terms. Board members and staff said the original $35,000-per-parcel estimate was cut roughly in half because properties would be served on only one side of the road; the revised assessment is about $17,000 per benefitted property, to be repaid over 10 years at 5% interest. The council's action on Feb. 4 advances the project to a final assessment resolution and a public hearing at the Board of Public Works before a return to council for final approval.

The decision drew questions and comments from council members and residents. Katie Pudliner, a Silvernail Road resident who spoke during the public-comment period, urged the council to revise the project scope and assessments. "Take out the curb, the gutter, the storm sewer in that area, and then you guys can offset our costs as homeowners," Pudliner said, adding that an assessment of "20,000 plus dollars over the course of a 10 year loan is ridiculous" for a nine-house road with many elderly residents on fixed incomes.

Alderman Rick Lemke said he supported moving forward with the sewer now, arguing many wells and septic systems in nearby neighborhoods are failing and that delaying sewer installation would likely require tearing up any new road later. "Their wells are gonna fail in Maple Way. A lot of them are failing already," Lemke said, adding that installing sewer while the road is reconstructed avoids higher future costs.

Alderman Eric Payne, a Board of Public Works member, described the board's deliberations and the options considered. "We whittled it down to 17,000," Payne said, noting board members also negotiated the repayment period and interest before recommending the plan to council. City staff confirmed the 5% rate reflects a slight premium above the interest the city currently earns on cash funds.

City staff said the assessment covers only the sewer installation cost and not road restoration, and that property owners would not be required to connect immediately; the city will run the sewer line to the terrace or easement and individual homeowners may hook up later at their expense. Staff also noted the last comparable sewer assessment in the city occurred in February 2002.

Next steps include a final assessment resolution, a public hearing before the Board of Public Works and a subsequent return to the council for final approval. If approved, the line would be installed during the Silvernail Road reconstruction to avoid later trenching and reconstruction.

Votes at a glance: The motion to approve the preliminary special-assessment resolution was moved by Alderman Rick Lemke and seconded by Alderman Eric Payne; the council approved the resolution unanimously. The council directed staff to proceed to the final assessment step and public hearing process.