Granton Village Board approves wastewater rate change; discusses Urban Forestry Grant

By Cheyenne Thomas After the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) informed the Granton Village Board that the expenses for running the village’s wastewater department outweigh its income, the board voted to increase the wastewater volume charge by more than a dollar to cover the deficit. During its April 10 meeting, the board also heard the annual report from the Granton First Responders, discussed applying for an Urban Forestry Grant and discussed the village’s upcoming Main Street project.

With the unanimous vote by the board, the wastewater volume charge will increase $1.12 from the previous rate of $5.59 per 1,000 gallons, setting the new rate at $6.71 per 1,000 gallons beginning in the next quarter of billing. The volume charge rate change comes after the DNR informed the board that the village’s income from wastewater rates was not enough to meet expenses, having a deficit in the wastewater budget reported last year. The change in rate is the first time the volume charge has been increased in at least a decade, as records from 2015 show the $5.59 per 1,000 gallons rate.

The board also discussed how billing residents for water and sewer will be done during the Main Street construction project, which officially started on April 22 and will continue through September. Because water and sewer lines are going to be replaced as part of the project, some residents along Main Street will have temporary lines connected to their homes, bypassing water meters which are usually used to keep track of residents’ water usage. The board decided that during the two quarters that will be affected by the street project, any resident that will be affected by the street construction will be charged an average rate for those two quarters based on past water usage.

After discussing the Main Street project, the board discussed the possibility of applying for an Urban Forestry Grant. The grant — which would only be available to apply for this year — could provide anywhere from $500 to $500,000 in assistance in cutting down hazardous trees and replanting new ones. Every year, the village dedicates about $2,000 in its budget for tree removal, but that amount is not nearly enough to

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cover the cost of removing many of the trees the village has deemed hazardous. Many of these trees the village identified are located in Windfall Cemetery. Some of those trees, they said, are at least 80 years old and could cause a great deal of damage should a windstorm blow them over.

The board decided to find out the cost to remove 17 trees from Windfall Cemetery before continuing with its application for the grant. Once they receive the estimates, the board plans to review and finalize its application at its May meeting before turning it in before the grant’s June 3 deadline.

In other action taken by the board at its meeting, the board listened to a presentation by the Granton First Responders, who gave the board their annual run numbers. In 2023, the first responders received 116 calls. Broken down by type, they responded to eight accidents, 97 medical calls and 11 fires. By township, the first responders reported responding to 20 calls in the Town of Grant (16 medical, two fires, two accidents); 18 calls in the Town of Lynn (13 medical, three fires, two accidents); 11 calls in the Town of Sherwood (11 medical); 23 calls in the Town of Washburn (16 medical, four fires, three accidents); 18 calls in the Town of York (15 medical, two fires, one accident), 24 calls in the Village of Granton (24 medical) and one call each in the Town of Mentor (Medical) and the city of Neillsville (medical).

The first responders also spoke to the board about efforts to begin fundraising to purchase a new ambulance. Their current ambulance is about a decade old and will have to be replaced with a newer unit. The estimated cost to purchase the new ambulance is between $55,000 to $75,000. In addition to seeking donations, first responders are planning to hold several fundraisers to reach the amount needed for the purchase, with information about those events to come in the next few months.