Pewaukee · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Pewaukee public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Sewer Rate Increase for 2027
Buried in the good news about the sewer utility's A-grade compliance report: a rate increase is coming next quarter.
Lake Pewaukee Sanitary Sewer 2027 Budget Request
The Lake Pewaukee Sanitary Sewer district's 2027 budget request was up for council review. Sewer district budgets affect utility costs for residents in the district.
Trinity Academy Facility Assistance Request
The school's parking lot needs about $425,000 in work, and the old building is years overdue for a mandatory sewer connection (~$160,000). The council declined to fund it now and wants a bigger conversation about the city's future as the building's landlord.
Great Lakes water diversion decision
The well-siting study confirmed there are no clean, viable places left to drill in the city. The council voted to point staff toward pursuing a Great Lakes water diversion — likely the biggest and most expensive project in city history — as the long-term fix for PFAS, radium, and supply problems.
Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District facility expansion and lift station
A single village-owned lift station handles sewage from the village, LPSD, and a third of Pewaukee — and it's aging. A failure could mean backups quickly; the village is studying replacement, with design dollars planned for 2027.
Broken Hill Lift Station Pump Replacement
Twenty-year-old sewage pumps are showing bearing wear near end of life. Replacing them now avoids backups and costly pump rentals during rebuilds.
SCADA System Upgrade for Water and Sewer
The computer system running Pewaukee's water and sewer is aging out, losing historical data, and vulnerable to compatibility issues with modern Windows. A $305,000 full rebuild will take 12-14 months and tighten cybersecurity.
Stormwater capital budget correction
A budgeting error left the stormwater utility's 2026 capital account $180,000 short, but the excavator came in $327,000 under budget, so only $127,000 was added — with the actual hit just $77,000 after trade-in.
Kopmeier Bay Sanitary Sewer Replacement
The failing sewer line running under the bay of Pewaukee Lake will be replaced rather than lined, requiring new easements from two cooperative property owners.
Possible merger of Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District into the City
The City's sewer service agreement with LPSD expires at the end of 2027, and the two systems operating side by side creates confusion and coordination headaches. A merger could mean one point of contact for residents and possibly efficiencies, but the City would take on decades-old 1970s infrastructure — though ratepayers are already funding it through higher LPSD rates.
Lindsay Road driveway variance and culvert flooding
A buried, non-functioning culvert on Lindsay Road is backing water into a historic barn and a mulch business, and semis can't safely turn out of the narrow permitted driveway. The city says the whole corridor floods and is slated for reconstruction with curb, gutter and storm sewer in its five-year plan, which may solve the drainage problem without a variance.
Mandatory sewer connections in assessment districts
About 60 homes that never connected to sewer after it was installed years ago will get a one-year notice to hook up, then face a standby charge of 150% of the quarterly sewer bill ($211.50). Homeowners could face $20,000-plus plumbing costs, and Blue Mound Road properties must bore under the freshly paved road since they skipped optional laterals.
Lindsay Road Balmer Park Utility Extension Litigation
The council went into closed session with its attorneys to discuss litigation strategy on the Lindsay Road Balmer Park utility extension project. Details stay private under state open meetings law.