PULASKI (NBC 26) — Village of Pulaski officials asked the state Public Service Commission to raise their water rates more than 75% to help pay off the cost of planning for a pipeline to bring Lake Michigan water to residents.
- If the Wisconsin Public Service Commission allows it, the village would use funds from the increased water rates to pay off engineering, design, and legal fees they've racked up planning the pipeline
- Construction is set to start this fall
- The pipeline should be ready to supply residents by fall 2026
- The cost of building the pipeline is estimated to be about $18 million
- Paying off the building costs will fall on customers no matter what; it's just a matter of how soon bills will increase
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story.)
Pulaski's water rates could increase with the construction of a new pipeline to bring Lake Michigan water to the village. However, a bump in price could come before the pipeline is built. I'm your Pulaski neighborhood reporter, Pari Apostolakos, with why the village is asking the state for permission to raise water rates 75%.
Watch Pari Apostolakos' full broadcast story here:
If you live in Pulaski, your water bill may be going up as soon as this summer. The village is seeking permission from the state for a 75% increase in water rates to help pay for a planned project to pipe water from Lake Michigan. The project is estimated to cost $18 million.
"Can the people of Pulaski afford these rate increases?" I asked Village President Keith Chambers Tuesday morning.
"I've heard from a lot of people that say they can't," Chambers said. "I don't want to be flippant about it, but that's just the way it is. [We] have a population of close to 4,100 people, and we at current do not have enough supply for water. The biggest supply would be needed in case of a major fire."
Chambers said the village is waiting for approval from the state for the 75% increase.
"I just thought that I would ask the board if we could raise it incrementally seeing that there are parts of the project being completed now and you don't get anything for free, so we're paying the bills anyway," Chambers said.
Chambers says if the village gets permission for the 75% increase, it would apply to the billing cycle as early as July. The possible summer hike would come ahead of a much larger increase once the community gets the pipeline. However, the village hasn't clarified how much the water rates will go up with the new service.
When I last reported here on a pipeline rate increase two months ago, neighbors had reservations.
"Pulaski's a small community, and I think we were doing very well the way we were doing it," resident Bill White said in January.
"Who wants to pay more? Nobody wants to pay more," Greg Smurawa, co-owner of Smurawa's Country Bakery, said months ago.
"What's the cost going to be? You know, is it going to be affordable?" Anthony Funk, a hairdresser, said his clients had been wondering.
Chambers said that on wells alone, the village is unable to offer the water the community needs. Pipeline construction is set to start this fall and end a year later.
