Board recommends 15-year, 2% payment plan for Silvernail Road sewer after public hearing

The Waukesha Board of Public Works on March 6 heard more than an hour of public comment on a proposed special assessment to install sanitary sewer along Silvernail Road from 318 to Sussex Lane, then voted to recommend the Common Council adopt a final resolution setting payment terms at 15 years and 2% interest.

Several residents who spoke during the public hearing said the assessment would be a financial hardship. Christine Garlock (name read from sign-in) asked whether any grants exist to reduce costs for the 11 affected properties and whether the city could carry sewer costs until homeowners tie in. She noted the project’s initial assessment option had been presented at roughly $47,000 and said that figure had been lowered in earlier meetings to about $17,711.67.

A neighbor who asked the board to extend terms described a mix of elderly residents, single-income households and younger families living on fixed budgets and asked the board to extend payments to 15 or 20 years so monthly obligations would be smaller. Mike Plummer, who identified himself by name during public comment, said he opposed installing sanitary sewer and asked whether a water main would be installed; staff responded the water utility does not intend to extend water service for this section.

City staff told the board they were not aware of any grant programs specifically for sanitary-sewer installation in this circumstance and that federal or state funding typically comes with program-specific requirements. Staff said the preliminary resolution had previously been approved by the Board and the Common Council with terms reduced from the city’s standard 8% to 5%; however, the Board retains the ability to recommend further changes to the final resolution.

Board member Joe Piper moved to recommend the Common Council approve the special assessment with payment terms stretched to 15 years at 2% interest; the motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote. Board members voting in favor included Steve Cassens and Kevin Riley; the Board noted it is only a recommending body and that the Common Council must confirm the action.

Residents pressed staff and board members on several technical points: how lateral costs are estimated, whether the sewer could be routed in roadside drainage to avoid tearing current road surfaces, and the expected life of private septic systems versus an installed sanitary main (staff said sewer infrastructure in the roadway is expected to be a long-term solution and that water service would not be extended at this time). A contractor-figure cited during the hearing gave a starting estimate of roughly $6,500 for a short lateral (up to about 60 feet), with per-foot costs typically falling for longer laterals; residents disputed several per-foot cost estimates presented at the meeting.

The Board asked staff to follow up with written answers and to collect contact information from residents so aldermen or staff can notify them when the Common Council considers the recommendation. The Common Council must confirm the board’s recommendation before the 15-year, 2% payment plan can take effect.