Good morning.
Monday in Whitewater will be mostly cloudy, with afternoon snow showers, and a high of 27. Sunrise is 7:06 and sunset is 4:21 for 9 hours 15 minutes of daytime. The moon is a waxing gibbous with 84.1 percent of its visible disk illuminated.
The Whitewater School Board’s Policy Review Committee meets at 4:30 PM and there will be a Board Governance Workshop at 6 PM.
On this day in 1959, the Antarctic Treaty, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific preserve and bans military activity on the continent, is first open for signature.
The last city administration neglected to implement a regular schedule of fees for stormwater usage in Whitewater. A decade’s since passed, and the current city administration now seeks to provide ordinary fee adjustments, as a consultant to the city once recommended (a recommendation that was unfulfilled during the last administration).
Along comes a local landlord, who admits that the residential portion “won’t be that much of an effect” but complains about his business (“on the university, will be on us, will be on Fairhaven, groups like that”). Along the way, he also insists — falsely — that the result “will cause rent increases. It’s part of it because renters do pay all of those charges.”
So sadly predictable as an example of yesteryear’s political culture in Whitewater — blame-shifting and erroneous in yet another claim. Passing on utility changes is a choice, not a natural law. It’s not gravity this gentleman is explaining — it’s his own chosen business policy. Indeed, here in the real conditions of Wisconsin landlord-tenant relationships, Wisconsin law makes clear that passing on various utility fees is a decision that must be placed in writing. See Wis. Admin. Code § ATCP 134.04(3) (Nov. 2024).
There’s a well-written, well-reasoned memo from the December 2nd Whitewater Common Council agenda packet that explains the actual situation. I’ve excerpted a portion of that memo below, with the full document also available for review:
In response to public comments asserting that the stormwater rate adjustment would inevitably result in rent increases, the City conducted a targeted data analysis to quantify the actual per-unit impact. To ensure a representative sample, staff analyzed fifteen multifamily properties: five from the largest complexes, five from mid-sized complexes, and five from smaller buildings. The buildings with the highest ERUs in each category were used for analysis. This approach allowed us to evaluate the rate adjustment across a range of property types and rental structures within the community.
The results of this analysis show that the per-unit impact of the stormwater rate change is modest. Across the sampled properties, the additional cost attributable to the rate adjustment ranged from $1.06 to $3.38 per unit per month, or approximately $12.72 to $40.56 annually. These values represent real properties within the City and reflect the most accurate information available as our broader analysis continues.
Although property owners retain full discretion in setting rents, the data provides clear evidence that any rent increases tied specifically to the stormwater rate adjustment would be minimal. We offer this analysis to ensure the community has a factual basis for understanding the actual financial impact of the rate change on renters.
Note well: discretion requires a choice between two alternatives. If the rate is passed on, the landlord chooses to do so, and may do so if a lease is properly drafted.
A landlord’s candid comment would have been to say “here’s what we’re gonna do,” rather than suggest renters pay all of those charges without implying that passing them on is an inevitability. It’s not. (If it’s too hard to be a student landlord in a town with a public university, then anything’s too hard.)
The focus of policy should be on these ordinary residents for matters like these, rather than complaints from big institutional establishments.
In any event, these are small amounts for most ordinary residents. That’s what matters most.
Sun blasts impressive X1.9-class solar flare to kick off December: