PLEASANT PRAIRIE ENTERPRISE FUNDS
Pleasant Prairie’s Solid Waste and Clean Water utilities are operated as “enterprise funds.” They are called enterprise funds, because they are operated like a business and are not supported by property tax payments. Instead, these areas receive income from: fees charged for services provided, grants, and the resale of capital equipment. This income is then used to cover operating expenses and large capital purchases or improvements.
Pleasant Prairie uses the enterprise fund structure to more fairly distribute the expenses associated with the service to all who either benefit from or have an impact on the enterprise. If the cost for operating these enterprises was included on your property tax bill, some properties that are the largest users of a service wouldn’t pay for the service they receive at all, because they are tax exempt. In December, the Village Board considered and passed the 2015 budgets for the Solid Waste Utility and the Clean Water Utility.
SOLID WASTE UTILITY
Solid Waste is the name of the utility that provides garbage, recycling, compost, hazardous waste, shredding, and leaf collection services for Village residents. The utility provides collection services for approximately 7,344 homes and operates a compost drop-off site, six out of seven days per week, on season.
During 2014, the Solid Waste Utility made its final debt payment. It is now debt free and is expected to remain that way for the foreseeable future. Large vehicle and equipment purchases for the utility, such as replacement trucks, will continue to be made with dollars from the Fleet Internal Service Fund (description here).
In 2015, a $ 0.50 increase per month has been planned for solid waste services. In the coming year, the Solid Waste Utility will extend hours at the Village Compost site by two hours per day and add an extra round of leaf collection in both the spring and the fall. During 2015, the utility will also install RFID (radio-frequency identification) readers on two garbage trucks and one recycling truck in order to study recycling participation. The more all residents recycle, the lower the overall cost for solid waste services (garbage vs recycling costs).
CLEAN WATER UTILITY
The Clean Water Utility was created in 2006 in response to Federal mandates requiring municipalities to increase their efforts to improve storm water quality. These mandates are intended to protect our country’s natural water resources (lakes, streams, rivers and groundwater) from contaminated storm water runoff.
Storm water is rain or melting snow. As it flows across the landscape, it collects contaminants from properties and transports them through the storm sewer and into our natural water resources. All properties contribute to storm water runoff to varying degrees based upon their soil type and surface and how the property is being used.
The Village collects a storm water fee from property owners based upon how a property generates storm water (calculated based on the types of surfaces on and the size of a property). The funds collected by the utility are used to pay for: maintenance of Village-owned storm water infrastructure (like storm sewer); repair and cleaning of catch basins; and preserving natural drainage systems like streams and vegetative buffers.
The utility is also building a fund to help pay for the future replacement of existing infrastructure. Infrastructure maintained by the Clean Water Utility is currently valued at $22 million dollars. Clean Water Utility capital projects that benefit the Village as a whole are funded by the Clean Water Utility. Those projects that benefit a specific drainage area are typically funded in part by the Clean Water Utility and in part by special assessment to the affected property owners.
During 2014, the Clean Water Utility completed street sweeping, outfall inspections, behind the curb sump drain inspections, and catch basin cleaning. The utility will continue more of the same during 2015. In the coming year, the utility also plans to complete: the second phase of a project in Beverly Woods; a floodplain boundary adjustment near 89th Street; shoreline protection at Lake Andrea; and storm water improvements in Carol Beach Unit W.
The storm water fee charged per ERU (equivalent runoff unit) will increase by $ 0.25 per ERU as a result of the 2015 budget. More information about the Clean Water Utility, including an informational video, is available by clicking here.