Oshkosh seeks 3% water-rate rise ahead of Clearwells spending
City of Oshkosh, Department of Public Works, Wisconsin · Meeting date: October 27, 2026 · Published: October 28, 2026
Oshkosh has unanimously authorised a simplified rate-case application to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission for a 3% water-rate increase. Utility staff said the move is intended to begin addressing the financial impact of major planned capital works, for which a 35% increase had previously been estimated once the Clearwells project is complete.
Key points
- Council approved Resolution 26-471 by a 6-0 vote, authorising submission of the PSC simplified rate-case application.
- The proposed increase is 3%; the last full PSC water-rate case was completed in 2023 and rates have not risen since then.
- Staff said Oshkosh’s current rate of return is 4.4%, below the threshold needed to qualify for the simplified application.
- The Clearwells project was previously estimated to require a 35% rate increase after completion; staff presented the proposed increase as a smaller initial step.
- The application requires PSC approval before the proposed increase can take effect.
Full report
Oshkosh is seeking a 3% increase in water rates under Wisconsin’s simplified Public Service Commission rate-case process, after the Common Council approved the application on 27 October.
Resolution 26-471 passed unanimously, 6-0. The action authorises the city to submit an application rather than itself setting the increase; the PSC must approve the request.
Utility staff said Oshkosh last completed a full PSC rate case in 2023 and has not increased water rates since. The city’s annual utility reporting puts its current rate of return at 4.4%, staff said, making it eligible to apply through the simplified process.
The proposed 3% rise is being framed as an initial move to manage the effect of large forthcoming water-utility investments. Staff identified the Clearwells project as a major capital requirement. When the project’s application was previously submitted to the PSC, the estimated rate impact after completion was a 35% increase.
“[This] would be the first small step to try to prevent the 35% increase in a couple of years,” a staff member told council. The staff presentation did not provide a project cost or completion date for the Clearwells scheme.
A resident speaking before the vote urged council to consider the cumulative effect of successive rate rises, particularly for landlords whose buildings are not separately metered. He said water charges at one eight-unit apartment property exceeded its property-tax bill and represented 13% of gross rents. The speaker said a further increase could feed through into rents, while acknowledging that water costs were rising.
Council members nevertheless supported the application. One noted that the cost of drinking-water supply and wastewater treatment must be recovered through some funding source, while endorsing a gradual approach rather than a single large adjustment.
The council’s decision concerns water rates. Staff also referred during the discussion to the need to fund wastewater treatment, but no wastewater-rate action was before the council.
This summary was generated by AI based on the source document and may contain errors.
Source: City Council Regular Meeting, City of Oshkosh, Department of Public Works