West Bend council tables resolution backing Washington County membership in Sewer Pack, seeks more information
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Summary
After a presentation from Sewer Pack representatives and questions about costs and funding, the West Bend Common Council voted to table Resolution No. 52 to gather more information and invite Sewer Pack to an informational session.
The West Bend Common Council on Jan. 5 voted to table Resolution No. 52, a proposal to signal support for Washington County’s participation in Sewer Pack, after hearing a presentation on what the regional commission does and asking for more financial detail.
Jesse, a city staff member who introduced the item, said the resolution was brought forward through the Mid-Moraine Municipal Group and noted that Washington County recently voted to withdraw from Sewer Pack. He asked John Fellows of Sewer Pack to explain the commission’s role.
John Fellows said, “Sewer Pack represents 7 counties here, in Southeastern Wisconsin,” and described Sewer Pack as the metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for the region that helps local governments coordinate federal and state funding. Fellows said the commission’s revenue comes in part from a small regional levy and that, in 2026, the commission anticipated coordinating about $7.5 million in federal and state funding to complement roughly $2.5 million contributed annually by member counties.
Council members pressed on the local consequences of Washington County’s withdrawal. One council member said that if the county stops participating and local governments must purchase similar data from private consultants, "it's gonna cost more than $200,000 to get that data." Fellows responded that the levy dollars previously collected on tax bills were the mechanism counties used to forward funds to the commission and that the county has chosen not to send that check going forward.
City staff and several council members said they wanted a clearer accounting: how much a standalone municipal membership would cost, whether Sewer Pack could provide project-level pricing, and the net fiscal impact on West Bend taxpayers if the county does not rejoin. Jesse and Fellows said a municipal-only membership is a new concept that would require further vetting and that Sewer Pack representatives would be willing to return for a detailed informational presentation.
A council member moved to table the resolution so the city could obtain the requested details and see how neighboring municipalities act; the motion passed by voice vote.
Next steps: the council requested that Sewer Pack provide an informational presentation and cost estimates before the council takes further action on Resolution No. 52. The agenda noted the village of Jackson plans to consider the resolution later in January and that Hartford and Germantown have already adopted it.
