City of Wausau Leaving No Stone Unturned to Improve Utility’s Balance Sheet

Friday, August 16th, 2024 -- 8:01 AM

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) Officials with the City of Wausau and Wausau Water Works are leaving no stone unturned to improve the utility’s balance sheet.

According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, on Wednesday the city’s Water Works Commission and Finance Committee heard a presentation from financial consultants on the possible impact of eliminating the nearly $2 million payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, into the city’s budget.

Mayor Doug Diny said the presentation provided a 30,000-foot view of what could happen if the city chooses to eliminate the payment in the next budget. “[The consultant] has run some scenarios and can run some more as we move forward. This is the first of what will be several meetings,” said Diny.

But a wildcard has also emerged in the discussions. Recent data from the water utility shows that as much as 17% of the treated water that’s distributed to customers isn’t paid for. Diny says that could be due to leaks in the infrastructure or meters that aren’t reading properly.

“We are putting a plan in place to track those bills. So if you aren’t getting a bill, if you aren’t getting usage quarter-over-quarter, that’s a red flag. We’re going to go out and find where those meters are and we’re going to take action.” Diny adds that recovering 10% of that would mean more than $1 million coming back into the utility.

Public Works Director Eric Lindman says the issue came to light with new equipment at the treatment plant. It’s likely been going on for years, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt on in-home service calls for the utility and put thousands of new meters on backorder.

Those are just now beginning to deliver. Finance Director MaryAnne Groat says new meters would also allow the utility to streamline its billing process. Currently, they’re working with two different brands of meters which require two different recording applications.

Having one brand would allow them to work with just one billing program. It could also allow customers to access real-time usage data to help spot leaks before they become larger problems. The Finance Committee approved using some APRA money for the meter replacement effort.

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