Workshop proposes 20% stormwater increase; staff told to develop multiyear plan

At the budget workshop Blanche (city staff) and consultant Henry Thomas presented a proposed 20% increase to the stormwater assessment for the next budget year. The recommended assessment would move the monthly equivalent from $4.75 to $5.70 on the annual tax bill, the presenters said; because the assessment is billed through the property-tax roll, the notice process follows the TRIM schedule. Consultants and staff told the council that while the proposed increase funds the current year's stormwater program, stormwater needs and costs are likely to require larger rates in future years. Thomas said regional comparisons show many communities now fund stormwater at levels nearer $9 to $12 per month, and that the city would benefit from a multiyear capital and project plan to set an appropriate long-range rate path. Council members asked for an updated multi-year plan and engineering-level cost estimates; staff said they will prepare a multiyear program and present options that could be adopted with an assessment over multiple years. No final rate was adopted at the workshop; staff indicated notices and TRIM-related steps must proceed to place the proposed assessment on the tax roll for the adoption hearing schedule.