MARSHFIELD, WI (WSAU-WDLB) — By the narrowest of margins, the City of Marshfield will be getting a new public power and water utility building on Central Avenue.
Alders voted 5-5 to approve borrowing some $20 million to fund the project during Tuesday’s council meeting. That tie was then broken by Mayor Bob McManus, who voted yes despite financial concerns by some on the council.
Alder Ken Bargender said the current building dates back to 1966, meaning it’s not nearly as old as many of the houses that are currently being occupied in the city.
“I understand there are deficiencies in that building, but it’s only 55 years old. A lot of people here in Marshfield live in homes that are 100 [to] 140 years old. We aren’t tearing them down; we remodel and renovate them. We run new electrical, cables for our internet, etc,” said Bargender.
But Utility Commission President Mike Eberl argued that the building has outlived its usefulness nonetheless as the city’s hunger for electricity has grown with its population.
“The total growth over that time (since 1966) has been 21 times on the revenue, twice as many customers consuming four times as much electricity as the building handled [back then].”
The project will be paid for by a small increase in electric rates beginning in 2023. According to information presented at the meeting, the average utility customer will see a less than $5 per month increase in their bills. Alder Rebecca Spiros noted while that may not seem like much, higher costs for businesses will likely be passed on to customers as well in one form or another.
Spiros, Bargender, Ed Wagner, Adam Fischer, and Peter Hendler all voted against the borrowing. The five voting in favor were Mike Feirer, Nick Poeschel, Quintin Rosandich, Tom Witzel and Tom Buttke.
It’s unclear when construction will begin.
