Flood damage won't raise taxes
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JANESVILLE — The bad news?
Flooding could have caused as much as $9.9 million damage to public property in Janesville.
The good news?
The cleanup probably won’t raise local property taxes, City Manager Steve Sheiffer said.
Rock County is waiting to hear if its communities will be eligible for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for damage to public infrastructure.
FEMA representatives met with state and local officials and toured the county for that purpose Thursday. They could make a declaration any day, said Phil Boutwell, assistant to the county administrator.
The group took the media on a tour through the Charley Bluff area in Milton Township on the “Rock River ferry,” a tractor pulling a wagon with bench seating. Many residents remain in their dry homes, but the road to get into the neighborhood is flooded.
Officials saw a pumping station surrounded by water, a flooded park and closed businesses.
“It confirms the information we received on the road damage, park impact, and then it allowed us to see in detail the economic impact on this community with the marinas, the supper club, the taverns,” said Patrick O’Connor of Wisconsin Emergency Management.
As the tractor and wagon sloshed through the nearly 2 feet of standing water on Charley Bluff Road, several “thumps”—likely problems with culverts—proved road work will be needed when water recedes, Rock County Public Works Director Ben Coopman said.
The county sent Wisconsin Emergency Management a report June 18 estimating $10.3 million in public damage throughout the county. Included in the amount, in round numbers, was:
-- $1.7 million for debris clearance.
-- $500,000 for protective measures.
-- $3 million for roads.
-- $2.4 million for water control facilities.
-- $500,000 for public buildings and equipment.
-- $1 million for public utility systems.
-- $1.3 million for other expenses.
The damage includes the Rock Koshkonong Lake District and Consolidated Koshkonong Sanitary District, parts of which fall outside Rock County.
The city of Janesville claimed $9.9 million of the total. That does not include overtime for police officers, estimated at $31,200 for 589 hours worked between June 14 and 23, administrative analyst Peter Riggs said.
But that’s a worst-case scenario that assumes the city has to replace everything underwater, Sheiffer said. Realistically, he thinks the cost will be more like $2 million or $3 million, he said.
If FEMA declares Rock County eligible for public assistance, the federal government will pay 75 percent of public infrastructure costs. The state and municipalities will each pay 12.5 percent.
Chances seem good the county will be eligible for the assistance. The minimum threshold for the assistance is $3.11 worth of damage per resident, Boutwell said.
In Rock County, the estimate is at about $60 per resident, he said—nearly 20 times the minimum.
If the communities are declared eligible, the city of Janesville will probably owe somewhere between $250,000 and $1.2 million. Sheiffer expects most of that money to come out of the city’s stormwater utility fund, he said.
“I will recommend to the city council that we postpone other stormwater projects so that we can avoid raising the fees,” he said.
FLOOD IMPACTS
The Rock River crested Saturday and is slowly receding.
Here’s where the river levels were this morning, according to the National Weather Service:
-- Newville: 14.54 feet after cresting at 15.12 feet. Flood stage is 10 feet.
-- Indianford: 17.79 feet after cresting at 18.33 feet. Flood stage is 15 feet.
-- Afton: 13.15 feet after cresting at 13.51 feet. Flood stage is 9 feet.
People are urged to stay out of the floodwaters because the water is contaminated.
FLOOD DAMAGE
Estimated public damage by municipality:
-- City of Janesville: $9.9 million.
-- City of Beloit: $146,000.
-- Rock County: $128,000.
-- Consolidated Koshkonong Sanitary District: $63,000.
-- Town of Milton: $36,000.
-- City of Milton: $19,000.
-- Town of Beloit: $15,000.
-- Town of Fulton: $15,000.
-- Village of Footville: $13,000.
-- Town of Johnstown: $3,000.
-- Rock Koshkonong Lake District: $3,000.
-- City of Edgerton: $800.
-- Town of Janesville: $80.
Jun 28, 2008 at 11:38 p.m.
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Yeah That is why the city and the state have flood protection AKA Fema They can't raise our taxes. It is bad enough it has been 3 years since New Orleans flooded and they do not even have homes do you think they raised the taxes there?
Jun 27, 2008 at 5:27 p.m.
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The flood may not raise your taxes but hang on to your A$$ when GM completes the closure of the Janesville facility. Those people that get on here spouting off about how they can't wait for this to happen, better save up now while you can.
Jun 27, 2008 at 12:59 p.m.
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We'll see. My experience has been that when any politician tells you something won't raise taxes you may as well start bracing for more taxes. Sort of like a baseball manager getting the "vote of confidence" from the GM right before they're fired.
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