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New Germany adopts 2025 levy and reviews wastewater financing options including possible temporary bond
Summary
The City of New Germany adopted a 2025 levy that reduces the tax rate 2.43%, and council reviewed utility-rate increases and several wastewater financing options, including a temporary bond and a construction-manager-at-risk delivery model. Council passed Resolution 2024-21 on a 5-0 vote.
Mayor Shirley Jaeger and the City Council adopted the City of New Germany’s 2025 final levy and heard detailed briefings on utility-rate impacts and wastewater project financing at their Dec. 3 meeting.
Jeanne Vogt of Ehlers presented the final levy figures and tax-rate information to the council, saying the 2025 tax rate decreased 2.43 percent. Vogt listed the levy components as a General Fund levy of $385,839 and a Debt Service levy of $48,963, for a total levy of $434,802 — a decrease of $11,268 from 2024. Council approved Resolution 2024-21 adopting the 2025 final levy (Grove moved; Roepke second; vote 5-0).
Vogt also presented a utility-rate study that recommended a 2.5 percent water-rate increase for 2025. On sewer, the presenters described a baseline 5 percent sewer increase for 2025 and projected a 7 percent increase through 2029 if a temporary bond is issued. Ehlers said a no-bond scenario would force sewer-rate increases of more than 40 percent for several years, a result described as financially infeasible for the city and ratepayers.
SEH wastewater engineer Jessica Hedin outlined project financing options and grant opportunities. Hedin noted an Emmer grant of $2.2 million was reported as part of the funding picture and mentioned other grants (PSIG and additional sources) that staff will pursue. She said the city will likely need farmland to the east for project work and that council may consider a temporary bond in 2025. The presenters discussed a refunding scenario described in the record (a subsequent $2.5 bond for the city portion was mentioned in the presentation; the transcript did not specify units for that figure). Hedin also described the construction-manager-at-risk (CMAR) option as a delivery method intended to reduce change-order risk and long-term costs.
Council members asked questions during the presentation; no public opposition was recorded in the minutes. After discussion, the council closed the Truth and Taxation public hearing at 8:15 p.m. (Mielke moved; Grove second; vote 5-0).
Next procedural steps noted by staff included continued grant pursuit, further analysis of rate impacts to residents, and a potential request for temporary bonding authority in 2025. The council scheduled the formal fee-schedule adoption for its Dec. 17 meeting, where water and sewer rate changes will be finalized.
