Altoona · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Altoona public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Sewer contract with Eau Claire
Administrator Golat plans to restart talks with Eau Claire's new city manager on shared fire services and the long-running sewer agreement, and flagged the state's innovation grant program as a funding path.
2027 Water Utility Budget
Stormwater rates were recently reset with a five-year schedule to rebuild reserves; 2027 includes borrowing, $279,000 in reserves applied, and a new off-road tractor and dump truck shared across funds.
Well 10 and Water Capacity
With the city's largest well offline, capacity dips below DNR comfort levels. Well 10, estimated at about $1.6 million, will fix that and is expected online in late 2027.
Lead and Galvanized Service Line Replacement
The city is replacing old galvanized water lines at no cost to homeowners so far, with grants covering the roughly $3,000-per-service cost. About 66 properties remain on the known list, plus roughly 800 unknown services to verify.
Smart Meter (AMI) Conversion
4,583 meters are now read through the tower in seconds; about 700 remain on drive-by reading. Finishing the swap should take about two more years and enables leak alerts like the one that caught 45,000 gallons flooding a vacant house.
Stormwater rate increase and rate structure overhaul
Stormwater fees haven't changed since 2007 and the utility is eating through its reserves. The new rates charge based on actual impervious surface, aiming for fairness, and folding curb-and-gutter into the utility trims special assessments by about 10%.
Wellhead protection standards relocation
A purely administrative move: the wellhead protection overlay district rules shift from the zoning title to Title 13, where the city engineer administers them. Protections don't change.
Wastewater compliance report (Resolution 6A-26)
The council signed off on the state-required annual report on the city's sewer system, a routine DNR compliance step.
Whitetail Woods lift station energizing
The new lift station at Whitetail Woods gets energized next week, unblocking occupancy for several homes waiting on it.
Hillcrest manufactured home park water connection
The Hillcrest mobile home park's water connection to EPA oversight has been assigned an agency and guidelines, moving the project forward.