Board to vote on $6 septic fee

Septic system owners in Marathon County would be required to pay an annual $6 fee to cover the cost of state-mandated inspections, under a proposal recommended by the Environmental Resources Committee last week.

The proposal, first discussed last fall, would essentially shift the county’s cost for overseeing septic system inspections every three years from the property tax levy paid by all residents to those who have a private onsite wastewater treatment system (POWTS). Of the county’s roughly 138,000 residents, 43,808 landowners (about 30 percent) are currently subject to inspection and maintenance requirements as owners of a POWTS.

According to estimates from Conservation, Planning and Zoning (CPZ), which oversees inspections by licensed professionals, the county’s annual cost to administer the program is $125,240 for staff time, postage and software support, but that is expected to increase over time. By adding a special $6 fee onto the annual property tax bills of those who own septic systems, tax dollars would no longer be needed to oversee maintenance of the county’s 21,219 systems.

“Every citizen in Marathon County right now is paying to operate the maintenance program,” said Shad Harvey, CPZ’s land resources manager. ERC members were also presented with options to split the cost 50/50 between the tax levy and special fees, resulting in a $3 fee, or $4.50 if the split was 75/25.

Debate over the proposal broke down along a rural-urban divide, with the only no vote coming from supervisor Allen Drabek, who represents the towns of Frankfort, Johnson, Rietbrock and Wien. Drabek noted that most municipalities get grants to help pay for sewer upgrades, while rural residents have to pay all of their own costs.

Supervisor John Robinson, however, pointed out that village and city residents are often required to pay special assessments for sewer upgrades made in front of their homes.

Still, Drabek said his constituents are already unhappy with paying the county’s $25 wheel tax, which provides additional revenue for highway maintenance.

“They’re fed up with fees,” he said. “This is another fee they’re going to be even more fed up with – even though it’s not much, I get that.”

Supervisor Randy DeBroux came to the opposite conclusion, arguing that septic system maintenance is part of the cost of living in the country.

“To me, it’s a no-brainer,” he said. “The people who use the service should be paying for it.”

Marilyn Bhend, a non-voting member of the ERC who represents rural townships, said it can cost around $15,000 to install a basic septic system and over $30,000 for a mound system, without considering the cost of inspections, pumping and hauling.

“I don’t see anybody in the city that’s spending that kind of money upfront,” she said, noting her opposition to the proposed fee.

Before the proposed fee is enacted, Harvey said a draft amendment to the county’s Chapter 15 private sewage ordinance will first be sent to all of the county’s rural townships and to the state Department of Safety and Professional Services for review. The ERC will also need to hold a public hearing before voting to recommend it to the full county board for a final vote.

A total of 31 counties in Wisconsin already have a similar septic fee in place, the highest of which is $17, according to Harvey. As an alternative to adding the fee to tax bills, the county has also considered charging residents at the time of inspection, but that would increase administrative costs and likely lead to a higher fee.

CPZ sends out between 5,000 and 6,000 notices at the start of every year, reminding septic system owners that they are due to get their systems inspected and maintained.

Harvey said they will follow up with additional notices and possible site visits to make sure the maintenance is done, but by the end of the year, they normally have about 500 systems left that still need to have their maintenance checks completed.

To avoid getting the court involved, Harvey said CPZ will continue working with the landowners to reduce the number of those facing a citation down to double-digit number. Last year, about 20 people were ultimately cited, he said.

“We try to work with everyone as best as we can once we get to the citation stage,” he said. “We even offer an opportunity for them to get out of the citation if they get maintenance scheduled.”

With Wisconsin’s counties operating under the strictest revenue limits in the nation, Robinson said supervisors need to look at ways to pay for services outside of the tax levy.

Supervisor Mike Ritter, chair of the ERC, said he lives in a very rural area and has paid a lot to install a septic system and have it pumped, but he considers that a cost of living outside a city with its own municipal sewer system.

“I also pay a lot more to put gas in my car to go to the grocery store,” he said. “It’s part of our lifestyle.”

As it is right now, Ritter said Marathon County residents who don’t live in a rural township are essentially subsidizing the septic inspections for those who do.

“I really have a hard time asking the municipality people to pay my fees,” he said.

Other business

■ After hearing from Solid Waste director Dave Hagenbucher about plans to install reverse osmosis treatment system at the landfill in Ringle, the committee voted to have Marathon County pursue a joint venture with Shawano and Portage counties to remove PFAs (forever chemicals) from landfill leachate. Hagenbucher said the county may qualify for up to $3.5 million in forgivable loans through the DNR’s Clean Water Fund, but first the county needs to adopt a new environmental management plan.

The proposed treatment system would process up to 50,000 gallons per day of leachate from the bottom of the landfill, which collects PFAs from consumer products that have been thrown out. The county has been sending its leachate to other wastewater treatment plans for over 40 years, Hagenbucher said, but those plants are not facing stricter PFAs regulations, so the landfill needs to consider doing its own treatment in conjunction with neighboring counties.

■ County conservationist Kirstie Heidenreich said a work group of farmers, conversationists and others have reached a proposed compromise on cleaning up the Big Eau Pleine watershed by reducing manure runoff. Their proposal will be discussed at the next ERC meeting on Aug. 5.