Why Report Cards?

The Wisconsin Waterworks Excellence Project (WWEP) offers a set of report cards that communicate water utilities’ performance comprehensively, but also clearly and simply. Organizational report cards facilitate accountability, reward strong or improved performance for managers, and provide feedback to an organization’s governing body. Report cards distill and transform vast and complicated performance information into a format that's easy to understand. 

With report cards in hand, utility leaders can set clear performance targets and show how their efforts led to improvements. Mayors, city councils, governing boards, legislators, and regulators can identify and redress struggling or at-risk systems, while they highlight progress and strong performance. For both managers and elected officials, report cards can help to demonstrate the reasons for investments in water infrastructure and utility organizations. Report cards will make it easier for voters to reward officials for excellence and hold them accountable for failures. Report cards also can alert regulators at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Public Services Commission (PSC) to the conditions of utilities that may be at risk of failure.

The WWEP is a project of the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with the generous support of the Kohl Initiative.