Residents raise legal and billing questions about Laramie stormwater utility

Several residents urged the Laramie City Council on July 15 to clarify legal and billing details of the new stormwater service charge and requested the city review the issue at an upcoming meeting. Norbert Bridal, a resident, said the city ordinance limits service-fee refunds to three years while a consultant-written manual states “credits are not retroactively applied to a previous billing period,” a discrepancy he said needs resolution. Resident Mister Glass read language from a state statute and told the council “a governing body shall not fund a surface water utility until the proposition to impose the means of financing the surface water drainage utility has been submitted to and adopted by the electors within the proposed surface water drainage area,” and asked whether the city properly followed that process. Jerry Gruber, another resident, said the new charge could discourage builders from working inside the city and relayed anecdotal reports that a local restaurant expects an extra $500 a month because of the fee. The presiding official said the council will review the stormwater utility at its next meeting and invited residents to attend or watch the recording. Why this matters: speakers framed the issue as both a procedural/legal question and a potential economic burden for businesses and developers. The council did not take formal action on the public comments during the July 15 meeting; staff will address the topic in a later meeting. The public comments raised three specific points for staff and council to resolve: whether the city complied with the state statute language regarding voter approval for funding a surface water drainage utility; whether the municipal ordinance or the consultant manual controls refund/credit timeframes; and whether the city’s method of placing the charge on utility bills complies with collection rules or whether the county property-tax process should be used. The transcript shows Bridal directly comparing the ordinance and the manual and urging clearer citizen-facing instructions, saying, “In the original ordinance ... it says service fees, service fee refunds shall not go back further than 3 years,” and quoting the manual phrase that “credits are not retroactively applied to a previous billing period.” Glass asked council to confirm whether the city followed state statutory steps before imposing the charge and whether collection via utility bills is authorized. Gruber said builders he speaks with find city development “too complicated” and warned the fee could push development to the county. No legal finding or policy change was made at the July 15 meeting; the council indicated staff will review the stormwater utility on the next agenda. The council also did not respond with legal citations or a definitive interpretation at the microphone; residents were advised to attend the follow-up meeting for staff and council comments.