Controversial Storm Water Utility Rejected

Mayor Kevin Crawford of Manitowoc, Wisc., has rejected the creation of a controversial storm water utility.

The mayor is no longer considering a fee-based system with funds for city services coming from property taxes. However, the city now must find a way to remove the $2.3 million deficit from the 2007 budget.

State mandates require the city to improve the quality of storm-water run-off to help protect waterways. The city performs some of the necessary requirements, but has to implement new mandates at this time.

Crawford previously was a supporter of creating a utility to help fund the new mandates, but recently decided that there were more important issues to deal with. Therefore, the mandates will be paid for through property taxes.

Those that opposed the utility were pleased with Crawford’s announcement. One resident, a member of Citizen’s Against Storm Water Tax, said that his company would have paid $30,000 per year with the fee-based system.

Alderman Justin Nickels told the Manitowec Herald Times Reporter that he is surpised by the decision, and is unsure how the city will make up the revenue that would have been created by the utility. The new mandate is expected to cost about $900,000.

Crawford does not currently have a plan to cut the budget.

Source: Manitowec Herald Times Reporter