WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Wausau Mayor Katie Rosenberg knows that the city’s proposed 65% water rate increase is less than ideal, but at this time there’s no way around it.
“I spent a lot of time asking questions to our financial advisors and our team and they ultimately said ‘we spent the money, and we need to pay for that debt,'” said Rosenberg.
The city approved plans for the new drinking water treatment plant under previous Mayor Robert Mielke following years of planning. Then as the plant was being built, the city had to pivot to a different filtration system to allow for the removal of PFAS, which will be installed in the next two years.
The city is also fighting against inflation just like everyone else. Rosenberg says some of the chemicals used in the plant have gone up by as much as 30%. She says the rate increases also help to guard against future regulations for PFAS or other issues that may arise in the future.
She encourages residents to look into financial assistants programs for their water bills. There is also the possibility of a lower rate tier being implemented shortly, which she noted does require another investigation and study from the PSC.
Rosenberg also discussed efforts to help the city’s homeless population, and what could come from an upcoming city council committee of the whole meeting on the issue, as part of this week’s chat.
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