OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Oshkosh residents will see an increase in utility bill prices. The extra funds will pay for EPA requirements, flood prevention, and general public works operations.
- An average Oshkosh resident will see a $3-5 increase in their monthly bill.
- The money will fund projects for stormwater and sewer utility, including flood prevention for Sawyer Creek.
- The increase comes on top of increases in property taxes for Oshkosh homeowners.
"It was a scary time," Ken Arneson, CEO of Evergreen Retirement Community says. "We had staff that we'd be wading in water up to our waist."
Arneson has been the CEO of Evergreen, a retirement community situated right on Sawyer Creek, for 27 years.
He remembers the times the Sawyer Creek has overflowed, flooding surrounding homes and businesses, including Evergreen.
"There was a whole lot of moments of panic," he says. "So coming out of it it was: we have to come up with a different solution."
Director of Public Works, James Rabe says higher utility rates will help pay for that solution.
"The stormwater utility has been doing a lot of work in Sawyer Creek in particular," he says.
Rabe says since the 2004 Sawyer Creek Flood, the city has been analyzing the waterbed and looking for ways to prevent future flooding.
The money made from increases in utility rates will continue to fund the work at Sawyer Creek.
Starting this month, Oshkosh residents will see increases in their utility bills.
Rabe says on average, $3-5 or higher for large families.
More than flood prevention, Rabe says the increase is needed to fund projects required by new EPA requirements.
"A lot of increase in regulations from a water quality standpoint are really driving a lot of the projects that we do," he says. "Both sewer and stormwater are really heavily regulated through the Clean Water Act from the federal government."
Rabe says the City is required to build a new filtration facility to further decrease phosphorus in the water.
The increase in utility billing was approved by the city council in December.
