GERMANTOWN, Wis. — A Germantown condo resident is speaking out after discovering his homeowners association pays nearly $12,000 annually to the village for garbage collection — despite contracting their own private pickup service.
Norm Berger, a resident at Sevin Pines Condos, said the fee is divided among 36 units, costing each resident approximately $330 plus tax. He has attended four village meetings trying to resolve the issue without success.
"Nothing is happening," he said. "I've been to four meetings with Germantown, and it's like speaking to a brick wall."
Berger said the village is collecting money without providing a service in return.
"Germantown is taking everybody's money in a condo and not giving them anything in return," he said. "That's like stealing money, and it's not right. Something has to be changed."
Watch: Germantown condo resident fights double garbage fee charge
Village Administrator Steve Kreklow pushed back on that characterization.
"No," he said. "The village isn't stealing or misusing any funds."
Kreklow explained the arrangement dates back 20 years to a deal made by the condo's original developer. He said all HOAs are required to pay property taxes into the village's general fund, which covers services like garbage disposal, police, fire, and the library — regardless of how much or how little residents use those services.
Kreklow acknowledged that adding the condo association to the village's garbage collection system would be complicated.
"It would be really difficult for the village to figure out how to add all of these different households into our garbage collection system," Kreklow said. "The budgetary challenges are real, and I don't see any easy answers to provide that service."
He said Berger's HOA could attempt to re-negotiate the arrangement, but noted that state law limits how much the village can levy, making a resolution difficult.
Berger said the issue keeps resurfacing without resolution, and he is tired of waiting for change.
"It shouldn't come up every five years," he said. "It should be taken care of. You know? Then they won't have to listen to anybody bring up the subject. So, yeah, I'm upset!"
He is now calling on other residents to join him at the next public works meeting on April 1 to demand action.
"The only way is to get out there and say something," he said. "Otherwise, you're going to be a lame duck."
TMJ4 News reached out to the HOA and did not hear back.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
