|
|
Article: Cost of `sewer wars' is $10 million and rising State memo examines county-suburb clash; Dispute dates to 1983 Since 1983, suburbs outside of Milwaukee County a coalition called FLOW, or Fair Liquidation of Waste have fought the sewerage district's unilateral decision to bill them for sewer construction costs based on property values. The communities are Brookfield, Butler, Elm Grove, Germantown, Mequon, Menomonee Falls, New Berlin and Thiensville. Prior to that time, the communities paid their share of construction costs based on the volume of sewage they flushed into the regional system. They want to continue paying construction costs on that basis, which amounts to lesser charges than the flat property tax rate preferred by the district. The sewerage district says the suburbs owe close to $150 million.
- Article from:
- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee, WI)
- Article date:
- January 26, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
Milwaukee and suburban taxpayers had spent nearly $10 million as
of late last year waging Milwaukee's lengthy "sewer wars," according
to a memo prepared by the state's Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
The figure today is certainly much higher, since the warring
parties continue to lock horns in court, as well as before the
Legislature and the Public Service Commission.
The stakes for both sides in the battle are enormous: there is a
$150 million gap between what the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage
District has been billing eight outlying suburbs and what the suburbs
believe they owe.
And as the memo underscores, both sides have spent heavily while
the fight rages on. The memo was prepared ...