Germantown committee withdraws MMSD private-lateral work plan after program changes

The Public Works and Highway Committee voted Nov. 5 to withdraw Germantown's existing private-lateral work plan from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) program and to forego submitting a replacement work plan after MMSD changed its guidance following recent storms.

Staff said MMSD altered the program from a predictable annual allotment model to a model that relies primarily on competitive awards for funding. "The work plan that we submitted doesn't make a lot of sense anymore," staff said, warning the change increases the village
nd residents' risk that competitive funds would not be awarded and that the village could be left responsible for private lateral replacement costs.

Committee members discussed keeping the existing allotment money versus the administrative and implementation burden of a new competitive work plan. One committee member urged withdrawing, saying the program had effectively been changed midstream. Staff noted the village currently holds an allotment under the earlier guidance but that maintaining the allotment requires submission of an updated work plan under the new guidance.

A motion to withdraw and forego a replacement work plan carried unanimously. Staff said MMSD operates a separate individual assistance program called "pipe check" that may cover half of a homeowner's lateral cost; the committee asked staff to post that program information on the village website.

The committee also discussed whether the village board should separately review the withdrawal for transparency; staff agreed to notify the village manager and attorney and leave the item on the consent agenda so a board member can pull it for discussion if desired.