Ashwaubenon, Hobart out of water deal But both leave door open By Ray Barrington News-Chronicle Ashwaubenon and Hobart have refused to sign a water purchase agreement with the Central Brown County Water Authority, effectively quitting the suburban water group. Monday was the last day for members of the authority to approve the contract. Both communities, however, held out hope for being part of a regional water solution. Ashwaubenon Village Board members said they hoped their vote would help by forcing the remaining authority members to work with Green Bay on a solution. The authority and Green Bay are in negotiations that officials in Ashwaubenon and the town of Lawrence said were making strides past where previous authority-city talks had gone. Meanwhile, Hobart Village President Rich Heidel has asked to allow the village to remain part of the authority in some fashion. Lawrence voted unanimously Monday to stay with the authority. Ashwaubenon's board voted 7-0 not to sign the deal, citing the lack of specific numbers and concerns that Ashwaubenon, which is the largest user in the authority and pays 33 percent of the costs, would be damaged after signing because it has only one vote on the authority board. The Village Board did, however, add that it would send a letter to the authority suggesting a delay could salvage the contract and that all sides should work together for a regional solution. "We think the village should lead the parade again in negotiations with Green Bay," said former village and authority president Ted Pamperin. He said signing the agreement would force Ashwaubenon to give up the power it now has "and you'd be going from the drivers seat to the trunk." The village had been considering an individual deal with Green Bay. Village President Norbert De Cleene said he was not sure if that could be worked out if the city decides to make a deal with the Water Authority. In Hobart, Heidel wrote the Water Authority saying the village would not sign the agreement because its lower density and lack of local water infrastructure would not allow it to pay for a regional water system. It said Hobart's debt would amount to $7.23 per 1,000 gallons of water used just for making debt payments and not paying for operation and maintenance. The letter, however, stated Hobart wanted to stay with the authority in some capacity until it is more developed and would be willing to pay some sort of annual fee to "preserve our investment" in the authority. "At that point," said authority president Roy Simonson, "it's up to first the authority and then two-thirds of the authority communities agreeing to terms of some subsequent class of customer." The issue will be discussed at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Allouez Village Hall at the authority's regular meeting. There are two forms of membership for authority communities; charter (all of the current members) and subsequent (any communities that join at a later date). Subsequent members would pay higher fees because of their lack of investment in the early stages of the authority's work. Simonson said he was open to discussion about some middle status for Hobart. "Certainly after reading the letter I can understand the position that they should warrant more consideration than communities that were never with the authority or bailed out much earlier," he said. "Hobart has been an integral part of the organization and, to use a cliché, stuck with us through thick and thin." Simonson's immediate predecessor as authority president was Len Teresinski, who left after a successful recall vote removed him as Hobart village president, a vote in which water was one of the major issues. "Do they warrant more consideration? Yes. What does that mean? I don't know," Simonson said. Lawrence, which buys its water from Ashwaubenon as part of a three-community group that includes Hobart, was equally unhappy about signing a contract without firm numbers. Town board chairman Tom Perock, however, believed that the town should look to the future in going with the authority, and board member John Klasen said the return to negotiations with Green Bay was a positive sign. "As long as adults are at the table, we're OK," he said. Allouez, Bellevue, De Pere, Howard and Ledgeview previously had approved the contract. At Ashwaubenon and Lawrence, however, there was general agreement that the worst possible solution would be for Green Bay to build a second pipeline for its own needs while the suburbs built another pipeline. "The water doesn't know whether it's in Green Bay or Ashwaubenon," said Ashwaubenon's Gerald Menne. "The best answer is a regional solution."