The American Fork City Council voted July 8 to amend the city's stormwater management ordinance to bring local code into compliance with updated state regulations, clarifying property-owner responsibilities, establishing a new stormwater inspection process and revising enforcement measures.

City staff said the changes modify subsections of Section 13.94 in the municipal code to spell out notice procedures, inspections and fines instead of the city's prior routine use of stop-work orders. Staff told the council the state determined some cities had too much unilateral stop-work authority and that a stepped enforcement process with notices and fines would be more cost-effective for the regulatory agencies.

Under the revised language, inspectors will issue sequential notices and allow property owners a chance to come into compliance before fines are assessed. Staff told the council that, if a permittee fails to correct a violation after the notice deadlines, the city still retains authority to issue a stop-work order as a final enforcement measure.

Council members asked whether the city would lose leverage by relying on fines. City staff said the revised process still holds permittees to short compliance deadlines — staff cited 24-hour requirements in severe situations — and that stop-work orders remain available when other remedies fail.

The ordinance revision included a technical correction to a cross-reference in subsection C(3) (the staff-cited typo that renumbers a reference to the second notice deadline). Council adopted the ordinance with instructions to the city recorder to withhold publication until planning commission conditions were met.

Key details: the code changes amend City Code Section 13.94 to add inspection procedures, clarify property-owner runoff responsibilities, outline notice and fine sequences, and retain stop-work authority after the notice/fine process. The council recorded unanimous support among members present.