Walt Nocito
The Original Sewer Agreements
The Town of Grand Chute and the Village of Greenville have two main sewer agreements in place.
- 1981 Agreement: This agreement was established when Greenville joined the Fox West Regional Sewerage Commission. It covers sewer lines running along the south side of College Avenue from Mayflower Drive to Casaloma, and then down Casaloma to Prospect Avenue, connecting to the regional collector. At the time, this was Greenville’s primary sewer line for transporting wastewater to the treatment plant. Grand Chute’s sewer lines connect to this system at College and Casaloma. This agreement outlines:
- The financial responsibilities for constructing, operating, and maintaining three interceptor lines.
- Grand Chute’s role as the responsible operator for interceptors within its town, while Greenville maintains its own. Grand Chute can also provide equipment and personnel for repairs in the Greenville-Airport Sanitary District on a time and material basis.
- Formulas for sharing operation and maintenance costs between Grand Chute and the Greenville-Airport Sanitary District, and for Grand Chute’s reimbursement.
- 1994 Agreement: This agreement was created to address Greenville’s growing sewer needs. It describes a 24-inch interceptor sewer line that runs parallel to County Highway BB (Prospect Avenue), serving both Grand Chute and Greenville. This line now serves as Greenville’s primary sewer line, with the older College Avenue line providing capacity for excess flow. Key provisions of this agreement include:
- Cost Allocation: Grand Chute is responsible for 14.5% of the flow, and Greenville is responsible for 85.5%. These percentages can be adjusted if flow rates change over time.
- Joint Ownership: The sewer line is jointly owned by both towns, with the exception of the metering station, which is solely owned by Greenville.
- Operations and Maintenance: Grand Chute is responsible for daily operation and maintenance. Annual invoices for these costs are to be sent by Grand Chute to Greenville in January.
- Meetings: The parties are required to meet in the first week of September each year to discuss budgets, maintenance schedules, and other matters.
- New Connections: New connections to this interceptor require Grand Chute’s approval, and the agreement details how this process works.
Current Management Issues
Unfortunately, these two agreements are not currently being managed as intended. A recent open records request revealed that the Town of Grand Chute has not charged Greenville under either agreement, and Grand Chute has paid all costs for these sewer lines. This means Greenville owes a significant amount of money to Grand Chute for work done on these sewer lines since the agreements were signed.
Path Forward
Two important actions are necessary to address these issues:
- Financial Reconciliation: The Town of Grand Chute needs to determine the total amount spent on these sewer lines, going back as far as possible to when Greenville may have been previously invoiced. They must then calculate Greenville’s portion, keeping in mind that the 1981 agreement allows for interest to be charged from the time work was completed, not when it should have been invoiced. For example, a project to upgrade the sewer line along Prospect is estimated at $5,925,000 in the current Capital Improvement Plan, and a substantial portion of this cost should be Greenville’s responsibility based on the 1981 agreement.
- Negotiate a New Agreement: The existing agreements were created at a time when the needs and operational requirements were significantly different from today. It is essential to negotiate a new intergovernmental agreement that covers both sewer lines. This new agreement should also consider proposed capital projects to plan for future needs for both Grand Chute and Greenville, impacting both the College Avenue-Casaloma and County Highway BB sewer lines.
It is time to negotiate a new Intergovernmental Agreement that covers both sewer lines and considers the proposed capital work that will be done in order to plan for future needs from both Greenville and Grand Chute that will affect both the College Avenue-Casaloma sewer line and the County highway BB sewer line.
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