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Record of Proceedings

Waukesha Water Commission Meeting Summary – October 20, 2026

Public Meetings — Tuesday, October 20, 2026
BodyWaukesha, Wisconsin
SessionPublic Meetings
DateTuesday, October 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:05:13

Original source
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:01

Nice.

0:03

All right.

0:04

Um, it is uh four o'clock, Tuesday, October 20th, 2026.

Unassigned speaker

0:10

Uh,

Speaker 1

0:10

this is the regularly scheduled uh Walkshaw Auto Utility Commission meeting.

0:15

Uh roll call, please.

0:17

Or let's call this meeting to order roll call, please.

Speaker 2

0:21

Commissioner Frankur?

0:22

Here, Commissioner Fowell?

0:24

Here, Commissioner Curry.

0:27

Absent.

0:28

Commissioner Pyatt.

0:29

Here.

0:29

Commissioner Matthews?

Speaker 1

0:31

Here.

Speaker 2

0:31

Commissioner Bartels.

0:33

Absent.

0:35

Commissioner Helvin Slaven.

0:37

Here.

Unassigned speaker

0:38

We

Speaker 2

0:39

have a quorum.

Speaker 1

0:40

Excellent.

0:41

Thank you.

0:42

All right.

0:43

So we'll move on to public comments.

0:46

It does not appear there's any citizens here in the city.

0:49

Um any emails or correspondence that we need to note for public comment.

0:54

Okay.

0:54

All right.

Unassigned speaker

0:55

Thank

Speaker 1

0:55

you.

0:55

Much that moves us on then to approval of minutes.

0:58

Item four.

1:01

Maybe the most motion from Francur.

1:04

Second.

1:04

Second from uh Mayor.

1:07

Uh okay.

1:08

Any questions, comments on the minutes from September.

1:16

All right.

1:17

Hearing none, all in favor say aye.

1:19

Aye.

1:20

Opposed.

1:22

Abstain.

1:23

Passes

Speaker 3

1:24

unanimously.

Speaker 1

1:25

Thank you very much.

Speaker 3

1:26

And for the record, we

Speaker 1

1:27

might want to note that.

1:28

For the record, uh Commissioner Bartels is here.

1:32

Thank you very much.

1:34

Um excellent.

1:36

So then that moves us on to item five uh action items.

Unassigned speaker

1:41

Uh

Speaker 1

1:41

approved change order number one uh for the abandonments of wells number five and six, uh totaling twenty-eight thousand five hundred eight dollars and twenty cents with Midwest Well Services, DBA municipal well and pump.

Unassigned speaker

1:55

This

Speaker 1

1:56

must be Kelly.

Unassigned speaker

1:58

All

Speaker 1

1:58

right, do I motion?

1:59

I still move.

2:00

Thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget Equity Analysis██████████████████████████████████████38%
Procurement████████████████16%
Procedural████████████12%
Water And Wastewater Management██████6%
Fiscal Sustainability██████6%
Personnel Matters██████6%
Public Works█████5%
Financial Assistance█████5%
Environmental Protection███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Waukesha Water Commission Meeting – October 20, 2026

The Waukesha Water Commission met at 4:00 PM on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, in the Water Utility Conference Room, 115 Delafield St., Waukesha, WI. After roll call, the chair confirmed a quorum: Commissioners Frankur, Fowell, Pyatt, Matthews, and Helvin Slaven were present; Commissioner Curry was absent; Commissioner Bartels arrived later in the meeting. The commission unanimously approved routine action items, discussed the 2027 operating budget, and received information updates.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments, citizens, or correspondence were offered.

Action Items

  • Approval of Minutes (September 17, 2026): Motion and second; approved unanimously.
  • Change Order #1 – Wells No. 5 and 6 Abandonment: Approved unanimously. The change order totaled $28,509.20 with Midwest Well Services, dba Municipal Well & Pump. Staff explained unit prices were unchanged; the change was for additional quantities of bentonite, pea gravel, and food-grade oil encountered because the wells had been dynamite-blasted. The original bid was $175,000; with the change order, the project total was $203,580.70, still under the $265,000 budget.
  • Payments from the General Fund and Improvement Fund (September Voucher Lists): Approved unanimously. Staff noted the Municipal Well & Pump payment of $128,475 was included, along with interest due in November on the WIFIA and Safe Drinking Water loans and the annual EPA servicing fee. A commissioner asked about a Waukesha County T-Mobile cell lease payment; staff explained 40% of the lease goes to the county because the tower sits on county property, while the AT&T charge is the utility's own cellular/iPad service.
  • Two Men and a Truck – Office Move to Operations Center: Approved unanimously. The move is budgeted at $50,000; two of three firms provided proposals. The office will close on Wednesday, December 2, 2026, and reopen to customers on Thursday, December 3, 2026. Carts and moving crates will be provided in advance so staff can pack while continuing regular duties. Inventory and construction materials will be moved later by staff.

Discussion: 2027 Operating Budget

  • Staff presented the first draft of the 2027 operating budget for discussion, with Senior Accountant Valerie present. The budget is scheduled to return in November with the capital budget for review and approval.
  • Revenue projections: Water revenue is based on 2025 actuals and 2026 actual/budget data for residential, multifamily, and irrigation customers, and on 2026 figures for public and industrial customers because of school closings and industrial usage changes. An 11% rate increase is projected for April 1, 2027, subject to PSC confirmation after the Milwaukee rate case. A 2% conservation consumption reduction is included. Fire capacity revenue is based on 2026.
  • Operating expenses: 2027 operating expenses are projected at about $10.5 million, an 8% increase over the $9.7 million projected for 2026. Major increases include an 8% purchased-water increase from Milwaukee Waterworks, $247,000 for backyard water main repairs, $170,000 for main maintenance, $124,000 for billing software, $104,000 for health insurance, and $76,000 for customer records/collections. A new account covers the 20-year amortization of $6 million in donated Milwaukee Waterworks assets. The 2027 budget also includes a $4 million EPA grant.
  • Compensation and benefits: Salary survey indices averaged 3.28%, so a 3.25% wage increase is proposed for 2027. The ongoing compensation study may require some pay ranges to be adjusted or frozen, but no employee wages would need freezing. Wages total about $2.89 million, including unfilled positions: the general manager, summer help not filled in 2026, an operations position, and additional HR hours. Health insurance premiums rise 6%; dental is flat; the WRS contribution rate rises from 7.2% to 7.25%.
  • Staff stated the significant-item review covered 96.4% of the 2027 operating budget. Commissioners praised the detail and clarity of the presentation. This was a discussion item only; no vote was taken.

Information Items

  • New Operations Center Update: Staff showed drone photos and videos of the exterior and interior. The site now has concrete paving, fencing, solar panels, a stormwater pond, and topsoil being spread. Interior photos showed the lobby, conference room, reception area with planned bulletproof glass, hallways, back-of-house polished concrete floors, lab, locker rooms, and the garage being painted. Office furniture is scheduled to arrive on Thursday; doors are locked with a contractor key core; no break-ins have occurred. The move is about six weeks away.
  • Utility Performance Report / Administrative Activities: Litigation updates: final depositions are upcoming, expert report drafts will be exchanged November 13, and mediation is scheduled for December 21–22. The City of Pewaukee voted to apply for Great Lakes Water, and the Village of Pewaukee was discussing the same. A Waukesha State Bank online system change caused some automatic ACH water bill payments to be charged twice or late; letters were sent and most issues were resolved. The office will close December 2 for the move. The compensation study is ongoing; the general manager search will begin after applications are received. An easement for the Arrowhead Trail/Shane Stat sisters project was completed for a $300 fee. The PSC has reinstated the utility's rate case. AB Data's mailing contract will increase 3.7%. The phone contract will be renegotiated with new phones. A mural of the BPS will be installed in the customer service area. WIFIA loan borrowing is nearly complete: $137.1 million borrowed with about $6 million remaining. Tax roll letters were mailed October 15; payment is due November 2, with a 10% penalty after that and unpaid balances transferred to taxes around November 16. Staff completed water modeling for the fire department's ISO audit and will purchase heavy-duty racking with 3,000–5,000 pound capacity for inventory. Construction work is wrapping up: Wells 5 (East Avenue) and 6 (Sunset) have been disconnected from the system; hydrant painting continues; one water service disconnect and street restoration remain.
  • Financial Report (September): Revenue was above budget for September due to hot, dry weather and an extra billing day. Source expenses were about $50,000 under budget; distribution was about $25,000 above budget because of PSC-mandated amortization of donated Milwaukee Waterworks assets; customer service was about $12,000 under budget. Cash decreased from about $56.5 million to about $54.5 million after debt service principal and interest payments, with $1 million in WIFIA funds received for the Operations Center. Water main replacement projects are complete except for final landscaping and some pavement work in the Pebble Valley area.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved minutes, Change Order #1 ($28,509.20), September voucher lists, and the Two Men and a Truck moving contract; all passed unanimously.
  • Discussed the 2027 operating budget; no vote was taken. It will be brought back in November for review and approval.
  • Received information updates on the Operations Center, utility performance/administrative activities, and September financials.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned after all agenda items were completed.

Meeting Transcript

Nice. All right. Um, it is uh four o'clock, Tuesday, October 20th, 2026. Uh, this is the regularly scheduled uh Walkshaw Auto Utility Commission meeting. Uh roll call, please. Or let's call this meeting to order roll call, please. Commissioner Frankur? Here, Commissioner Fowell? Here, Commissioner Curry. Absent. Commissioner Pyatt. Here. Commissioner Matthews? Here. Commissioner Bartels. Absent. Commissioner Helvin Slaven. Here. We have a quorum. Excellent. Thank you. All right. So we'll move on to public comments. It does not appear there's any citizens here in the city. Um any emails or correspondence that we need to note for public comment. Okay. All right. Thank you. Much that moves us on then to approval of minutes. Item four. Maybe the most motion from Francur. Second. Second from uh Mayor. Uh okay. Any questions, comments on the minutes from September. All right. Hearing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed. Abstain. Passes unanimously. Thank you very much. And for the record, we might want to note that. For the record, uh Commissioner Bartels is here. Thank you very much.

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