PULASKI, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Pulaski residents may soon see their water rates more than double, if approved by the state’s Public Service Commission.
The average Pulaski resident could soon pay about 132% more for water.
The increase comes as the village works to pay for its new water pipeline, which connects to Lake Michigan.
“What we’re telling people is if you use 10,000 gallons, you can expect an $800 to $900 increase in your water bill [per year],” Pulaski Village President Keith Chambers said.
So someone paying $151 per quarter will now pay approximately $351.
The change comes after the village switched its water supply from a well to a pipeline connected to Lake Michigan at the end of August.
Residents will see higher water bills to help pay for the newly constructed water pipeline. Chambers said this will be on people’s bills for about the next 20 years.
Several neighbors voiced concern about the rate increase; saying they’re upset about the increase and worry about those living on a fixed income.
They also said the increase seems unfair if they’re still using the same amount of water.
Chambers said despite concerns, Pulaski was left with no choice but to change.
“Five years ago, the DNR decided that our water supply wasn’t sufficient. We have two wells in town here and the DNR decided that they weren’t producing enough,” Chambers said.
Chambers said the wells provided enough water for average daily use, but not enough for a major catastrophe, like for extinguishing fires.
He said digging another well would have cost about $20 million, whereas connecting 6.5 miles of piping to the Green Bay pipeline is roughly $16 million.
Now the time has come for folks to pay up.
“They wouldn’t let us increase until work was done. The work had, the infrastructure had to be in before we could start collecting on it,” Chambers said.
Chambers said people can expect to start seeing the increase during the next billing cycle.
The Wisconsin Public Service Commission will hold a public hearing Sept. 28 on Pulaski’s proposed water rate increase.
Residents can attend and comment in person at the Pulaski Municipal Building or submit comments ahead of the hearing.
