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Council adopts updated stormwater ordinance to meet MS4 and permit requirements
Summary
Michigan City adopted revisions to its municipal code governing stormwater and drainage to align with the city’s MS4 permit renewal and state guidance. The ordinance consolidates language from multiple code sections and does not add fees; the sanitary district’s director said the changes are technical and required by the state permit.
The Michigan City Common Council on Monday adopted an update to the municipal code governing stormwater and drainage to align local rules with the city’s MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) permit and recent state and federal guidance.
What changed City and Sanitary District staff worked with consultants and Purdue’s Local Technical Assistance Program to consolidate and modernize stormwater provisions scattered across nine code sections and to align local ordinance language with the MS4 permit the city must implement. Council and sanitary district officials said the updates are technical, clarify responsibilities for runoff control and construction runoff, and standardize enforcement language.
Key points - No new fees: Sanitary district staff and the ordinance sponsor confirmed there are no new stormwater fees or a stormwater utility included in the adopted ordinance; the update is regulatory and code‑cleanup in nature. - Regulatory driver: The update was driven by a permit renewal and the need to consolidate and modernize local stormwater standards; the sanitary district’s Al Wallace said the prior ordinance language was approaching 20 years old. - Public comment: There was limited public comment. One speaker advised caution about creating residential stormwater fees, noting past municipal efforts elsewhere to create parcel-based stormwater charges. Council members affirmed there are no fees in this update.
Vote and implementation The council waived rules and adopted second and third readings on the ordinance during the meeting; the final vote was unanimous. The sanitary district will coordinate technical standards and enforcement with city staff.
Ending note Officials said the ordinance will enable consistent implementation of stormwater requirements and reduce regulatory risk associated with the city’s MS4 permit.
