No political blockage in Franklin sewer

Franklin - The Ryan Road interceptor project has cleared a potential roadblock.

The Milwaukee County Board last week voted down a countywide advisory referendum on the construction.

"There's nothing pending in front of the county on that project right now," said Harold Mester, County Board public information officer.

The board, in a 12-7 vote, upheld County Executive Chris Abele's veto of the referendum on the $31 million plan, an amount funded with low-interest loans from the Department of Natural Resources' Clean Water Fund.

A vocal opponent of the interceptor, County Supervisor John Weishan Jr. was among those who wanted the referendum to move forward.

"This project, I think, has serious flaws to it," he said.

Under the plan, sewer would be extended along five miles of Ryan Road from 60th to 124th streets. It would serve a nine-mile area south of Ryan Road and west of South 68th Street.

Weishan is opposed to the project and its funding because he said it will extend the MMSD's taxing authority and because some Franklin residents resent giving up easements for the work.

Clean use of funding mechanism?

"The financing mechanism - the Clean Water Fund - cannot be used to develop an area," he said. "It's an ineligible use of the Clean Water Fund. Eventually, the federal government is going to come back and say you misused this fund."

Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor, however, said the city held ample public hearings on the project and residents' concerns were heard since the project was first introduced five to six years ago.

"That's how long we have been talking about this project," he said.

He also said the plan has the blessing of the DNR and the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, and neither raised red flags about using dollars from the Clean Water Fund.

"I would trust my city attorney with what is and what is not proper," the mayor said. "And I would trust the state Department of Natural Resources over any opinion Supervisor Weishan may or may not have."

Moving ahead

Construction has already begun, said Taylor, with completion expected in 2014. The following year, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District will begin buying the interceptor back from the city at a cost of $41 million.

Taylor said contracts for the project, which will also provide sewer service to a portion of Muskego, have been let and the land and route for the interceptor surveyed.

"This was already a done deal," he said, even before the advisory referendum was proposed. "We had an agreement with the MMSD and an intergovernmental agreement with Muskego."