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Residents and committee members raise concerns about rate increases, tax levies and transparency
Summary
Committee members and attendees said previous messaging suggested sewer service would not cost residents; several warned that engineering and construction debt would increase water/sewer bills and asked for clarity on taxes, impact fees and decommissioning of lagoons.
Multiple committee members and attendees said they had understood earlier presentations to imply little or no direct cost to residents; at the meeting several speakers expressed surprise that the village could face new debt service, impact fees or a levy that would raise monthly bills. One attendee asked whether a tax referendum would be required to impose a new tax line and whether decommissioning ponds would create additional expense.
"From the last time we heard about this water and sewer coming in... we were told that it wasn't gonna cost the residents anything," said Speaker 4, voicing a common concern that echoed through the group. Committee members asked KWRD for explicit written examples (sample bills and an engineering-scope breakdown) and agreed they would not make a board-level commitment without clearer modeling of how the village's rates and taxes would change. The group also requested that KWRD outline the recapture mechanism if the village declined now but wanted to join later.
