On Monday, September 21, the Village Board held a virtual continuation of the public hearing for Final Resolution #20-23. The Village Board tabled the discussion on August 3 after asking staff to consider additional payment options.
The Village Board approved Final Resolution #20-23, with modified language giving property owners the option to pay the assessment in full or pay in ten annual installments with an interest rate of three percent above the then-existing prime rates. The resolution authorizes the levying special assessments against the benefitted properties connected with the County Trunk Highway H (CTH H) and State Trunk Highway 50 (STH 50) water main extension project.
The Village is paying for the initial installation of the public Water Main additions with the Water Utility cash reserves. Twenty-nine properties are fronting the improvements and reimbursing the utility through special assessments. The total project costs, after $246,931 in credits, is $559,088. The average rate per single-family lot is $13,541. Existing homes are not required to hook up to the municipal water immediately. The levied assessments will defer until the property connects to the utility, is subdivided, approved for development, or has a building permit issued to develop a vacant lot.
“By offering a differed special assessment for the water main extension, it gives homeowners the option to continue to use a private well or connect their property to municipal,” said Nathan Thiel, Village Administrator. “The extension also provides additional safety measures, giving homes in the area access to fire hydrants.”
The Village extended the public water main along CTH H to the jurisdictional boundary, near 67th Street. The extension is in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation reconstruction of STH 50 that will begin in 2021 and reconstruct CTH H from STH 50 to 70th Street. The design, bid, and construction contract for the water main extension improvements were approved at the May 4 Village Board meeting. CTH H closed for roughly a month and reopened to through traffic on September 16.