Kenosha Water Commission authorizes application for 3% water-only rate increase to Wisconsin PSC

The Kenosha Water Commission on May 12, 2025 voted unanimously to authorize staff to file an application with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission seeking a simplified 3% water-only rate increase.

Chairperson Ruffo presided over the meeting and the commission approved routine business — including the April 28 minutes and April disbursements — before taking up the rate adjustment request. Mister Czarnecki, a staff member responsible for the utility’s rate filing, told commissioners this request uses a simplified adjustment mechanism available for five years following a conventional rate case and that Kenosha is in its second year of eligibility.

Mister Czarnecki said the application would add a 3% increase to water charges only and framed the request as a modest, formula-driven step to keep pace with costs since the last conventional case used 2019 operating data. “We’re very frugal down here in Kenosha,” he said, noting that consumer prices have increased roughly 24 percent since 2019 and the utility therefore remains behind historic cost levels.

A commissioner asked whether the board could do anything beyond passing the application — such as adopting a resolution or lobbying the Public Service Commission — to support the filing. Mister Czarnecki responded that eligibility for the simplified increase is determined by the PSC metrics (he referenced a 6.2% benchmark on the support materials) and that additional lobbying or resolutions are not required for this filing.

A motion to authorize staff to submit the application was moved and seconded and carried by voice vote with all members present voting aye. The commission did not record any abstentions or no votes. Following the vote the commission moved to adjourn.

The staff next step is to file the application with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission; the transcript does not specify a target filing date or the PSC docket number.