Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater Msbu topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County staff outline MSBU phase‑1 to pay for stormwater maintenance for 6,300 lots
Summary
Santa Rosa County budget staff told the Sales Tax Committee they will seek a contract to maintain stormwater infrastructure in a phase‑1 MSBU covering 101 subdivisions and about 6,300 lots; the board will set the rate after bids.
Sabrina, Santa Rosa County budget director, told the Sales Tax Committee that staff will pursue a stormwater municipal service benefit unit (MSBU) program for phase 1 that would be imposed on certain subdivisions rather than petitioned to property owners.
"This will not go through the petition process... there are over a hundred and 1 subdivisions that this will be applied to over 6,300 lots in total that will be paying the fee," Sabrina said. She said the board asked staff to pursue the MSBU earlier in the year and that staff will go out to bid to determine contractor costs; the board would set the rate when staff return with bids, likely in June or July.
The nut graf: staff described MSBU phase‑1 as a targeted, contract‑based approach to maintain ponds and routine drainage infrastructure in more recently platted subdivisions so county public works can focus limited in‑house resources on older, more complex retrofits that require design and heavy construction.
Committee members asked how the MSBU would interact with homeowners associations and older subdivisions that lack stormwater infrastructure. Sabrina said the phase‑1 list focuses on subdivisions approved in roughly the last 10–15 years; older, code‑deficient neighborhoods will generally be handled through mitigation grants and larger retrofit projects. "That will allow our public works staff to focus on those tougher ponds that require more than just annual maintenance," she said.
A committee member raised fairness concerns about imposing an MSBU without petitions and asked whether commissioners would be willing to approve MSBUs for other older neighborhoods. Sabrina replied the board had directed staff to pursue the phase‑1 MSBU and indicated a vote to proceed is likely if contractor pricing is reasonable.
Ending: staff said they will publish the phase‑1 subdivision list to committee members and return with bid results and a proposed rate for board consideration later this year.
