Pewaukee neighbors spared $69,511 bill for now as council votes down utility repair plan

PEWAUKEE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- About two dozen Pewaukee homeowners have been spared for now from a nearly $70,000 bill for water, sewer, and road repairs.

The Pewaukee Common Council voted at the last moment Monday night to put off the project.

Those costs are before interest is factored in. Depending on the repayment plan if the project was approved, the total cost per home could top six figures.

Shady Lane resident Laura Calderon told the council, "We have a 2nd grader and 4th grader and we're trying to save for college and retirement. We would have to sell."

The $69,511.47 cost looked inevitable after the Common Council announced plans to repair utilities on Shady Lane and Shady Nook on the east side of Pewaukee.

The assessment for each home is for new sewers, water mains, and road resurfacing. Twenty-four properties are affected.

Neighbor Rhonda Ziegler said, "You pretty much doubled my taxes, plus what I’m already paying. So I don't see where the value is going to be that great."

The city's standard 10-year payback plan would accrue more than $17,000 in interest for a total cost of more than $86,000 for each homeowner.

The city is considering a longer payback plan, but interest over 20 years would top $36,000, for a total project cost of more than $105,000.

Neighbor Karsten Black said, "It's not an inconvenience, it's a life-altering decision. And it's one that could impact my ability to continue ownership of my home."

In the end, the council and mayor sided with neighbors: the costs were too high.

Mayor Steve Bierce, who does not vote on issues, said, "I say we fix the road and let somebody else fight it out 20 years from now."

The Common Council plans to discuss repaving the roads in the future, but those costs are capped at $3,206 per home. The vote Monday was on the joint sewer-water-road project, so repaving the road will require a new bid and a new vote.