Whitefish Bay adopts revised PPI/lead-service-line terms; staff to target ~70 homes for design

The Whitefish Bay Village Board on May 19 approved revised terms for a private property infiltration/inflow (PPI) program tied to Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) competitive funding, shifting the village from a cure-in-place approach to a full replacement model.

Staff explained MMSD now requires replacement rather than lining, which makes in-home work necessary and more invasive. To reduce repeated basement entries and increase efficiency, staff proposed targeting a priority meter-shed in the southern village where privately and publicly lead service lines overlap. The packet identifies roughly 100 eligible properties in the priority area; staff will design for approximately 70 properties and hopes to process 35 properties per year in 2026 and 2027. Selection will use a short registration window followed by a lottery to ensure equitable access rather than a time-stamped queue.

Staff also proposed financing terms: the village would cover about $6,000 of the public-side replacement cost; homeowners would be responsible for the private-side cost via a special assessment (terms to be developed later). Homeowner consent forms would permit contractors to access private property.

Trustees raised operational and fairness questions: whether adjacent properties could be coordinated for economies of scale; how to treat homeowners who move after signing up (staff suggested a right-of-first-refusal approach for new owners); and whether the village should start with a half-mile pilot rather than a one-mile pace for concurrent water-main replacement (staff recommended one mile but said the board could opt to phase in more slowly).

A motion to approve the proposed PPI and LSL program terms as presented passed by voice vote. Staff will proceed with outreach to the priority area, host an open house and return to the board with design results and any policy details (including special-assessment mechanics).