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Elmwood board told rate study required after water plant report; official warns of higher rates
Summary
The village’s annual Compliance Maintenance Annual Report flagged spare-parts shortages and financial-management shortcomings at the water plant, prompting a required rate study. Clerk Holly Malaszuk said she will ask Ehlers to coordinate with the DNR, and President Neil Boltik said water rates will likely rise to cover an estimated $30,000 annual loss.
Clerk Holly Malaszuk briefed the Village of Elmwood Board on the water plant’s Compliance Maintenance Annual Report (CMAR), saying the report identified the need for more spare parts to speed repairs and noted shortcomings in financial management that trigger a required rate study.
"The CMAR says we need to have more spare parts available for quicker repairs and that a rate study must be completed due to shortcomings in financial management," Holly Malaszuk said. She added she will contact Ehlers to ask that the firm reach out to the Wisconsin DNR to clarify that a rate-study process is already underway.
President Neil Boltik framed the outcome in budget terms, saying the village is currently losing "around $30,000 annually" on the water/sewer plant and that "water rates will be increasing" to help bring the utility back into balance.
The CMAR is an annual reporting tool used to communicate water-system deficiencies and administrative requirements to the DNR; the board did not take a formal vote on rates at the Sept. 9 meeting. Holly Malaszuk said the village would seek clarification from Ehlers and the DNR on the timing and scope of the required rate study.
No timetable for public hearings or exact rate changes was specified during the discussion. The board treated the CMAR as an informational and planning item; follow-up work will include confirming the rate-study schedule and presenting findings or recommendations to the board before any formal rate changes are implemented.
