Letter from the Mayor
July 2, 2025
City of Oconto Water Quality
There have been numerous comments circulating on Facebook regarding the quality of our city’s water, with some posts suggesting that the water is unsafe or undrinkable. I want to take a moment to directly address these concerns and provide clear, factual information to our community.
The City of Oconto’s water is safe, clean, and meets all state and federal drinking water standards. Our water is tested regularly and thoroughly to ensure the health and safety of all residents. The annual Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), also known as the Water Quality Report, can be found on the City’s website here: https://cityofoconto.com/general/2024-consumer-confidence-report/. This report details the results of our water testing and confirms that our water is compliant with the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The health and well-being of our community is our top priority. If there were ever an issue with water safety, we would notify residents immediately and take all necessary actions to resolve the situation.
We understand that social media can be a powerful tool for communication, but it can also unintentionally spread misinformation. If you ever have questions or concerns about city services, including water quality, I encourage you to reach out directly to City Hall or visit our official website.
Oconto Utility Rate Case
I also want to take a moment to address several concerns raised during and following the recent public hearing regarding the 2025 Utility Rate Case.
First, we have heard the feedback from residents about the timing of the public hearing notice. While I want to assure you that the notice was properly issued in accordance with the Public Service Commission (PSC) regulations, and all statutory requirements were met, the Judge did recognize the concerns shared by the public. As a result, the public comment period has been extended from July 3 to July 15, 2025. Customers can submit their comments either by mail or online through the PSC’s website. Your input is important and will be taken into consideration.
If you need more information on how to submit your comments to the PSC, please reach out to the Utility Manager, Matthew Beekman, and he will help you with this process.
Second, I’d like to provide clarity on the purpose of the rate case. The Oconto Utility Commission did not file for a rate case seeking to raise utility rates. This filing was submitted solely to request a change in tariff language. For the past 35+ years, we have consistently billed for public fire protection in a way that we believe reflects fairness. We do not bill homeowners public fire protection for both their primary parcel and their adjacent vacant lot. We believe it is unfair and unjust to charge additional fees for adjacent vacant parcels that clearly serve no separate use and are part of the homeowner’s property.
We are currently going through an appeal process with PSC to protect our residents. PSC is regulating that we charge ALL vacant parcels public fire protection, even those adjacent to the homeowner’s main parcel that they already pay fire protection on. A part of this regulation is requiring us to back-bill every vacant parcel for 2 years. We have not billed adjacent parcels in the past and we are changing the language to not have to bill them in the future. In the appeal, we are asking not to be required to back-bill at all.
Unfortunately, during the public hearing, a figure of 28% was mentioned. This is an error. Utility Manager Matthew Beekman corrected this error early in the rate case process as it does not reflect the Utility’s position or the nature of this rate case. It should not have been referenced during the hearing and does not represent our intentions. The Utility is not asking for a change in rates, only a language change, any change in rates is a directive from the PSC.
Our goal remains simple: to protect our residents from unfair billing practices and to ensure consistency and transparency in how utility charges are applied. We thank you for your patience, understanding, and engagement as we work through this process.
Regards,
Cliff Martin
Mayor City of Oconto
