A $2 million fee too much for Holmen

First time outsiders asked
to pay fee for sewage hookup

The city of La Crosse is not singling out Holmen, Wis., with a giant connection fee for sewer services.

The village has decided to opt out of plans to hook up to the La Crosse sewage treatment plant because of a $2 million fee. It’s the first time a community outside of the city has ever been charged to hook up to the plant, but it won’t be the last time

“The plan is that it would be from this point forward,” La Crosse water utility manager Mark Johnson said.

In light of the fee, after three years of negotiating a plan to hook up to La Crosse, Holmen plans to build a new $15 million sewage treatment plant instead. 

The city currently gets sewage from the city of Onalaska, Shelby, La Crescent and Campbell. None of those communities paid a connection fee to hook up to the sewage treatment plant.