Lewis County deputy prosecutor Amber Caulfield, left, tells county leaders the latest on Water-Sewer District 5 in this June 2019 file photo.
Onalaska’s long-troubled Water-Sewer District 5 will be the subject of a public hearing on an ongoing moratorium on building in the district set for Nov. 4.
Community Development Director Lee Napier reported on Monday that at the public hearing on Nov. 4, Lewis County Commissioners Edna Fund, Bobby Jackson and Gary Stamper will examine the renewal of the moratorium set in June upon certain building permits in the Water-Sewer District 5 area.
Napier stated that “within six months, the board needs to either renew or lift the moratoriums” imposed due to a number of financial question marks, interpersonal battles and allegations of ethical improprieties that have taken place in the small district, as reported by The Chronicle on July 15.
Lewis County has reportedly been evaluating a takeover of the embattled area since District 5’s two commissioners— Virgil Fox and Deborah Hilliard— requested for the Lewis County Commissioners to intervene.
County Manager Erik Martin weighed in on the matter during a July meeting.
“There’s the potential that the longer District 5 continues to operate the way they are, the worse things could be when the county eventually does get it,” he said. “We’re going to get District 5 one way or the other, and I’d rather get it sooner than later.”
