Spokane County expands stormwater service area, approves phased fee increase

Spokane County commissioners on April 3 voted unanimously to expand the county's stormwater utility service area to the entire unincorporated county and adopt a stepped fee increase to fund drainage maintenance and water-quality programs.

The measure, an amendment to Spokane County Code Chapter 9.7, was presented by Matt Zaracore of Spokane County Public Works, who told the board the change would let the utility address 24,000 culverts and 2,400 miles of county roads that mostly fall outside the current service area. "When we are talking stormwater, we're talking really about two things: we're concerned about flooding and mitigating any flooding potential, and we're also talking about water quality and keeping our stormwater runoff clean," Zaracore said.

The county's stormwater utility was established in 1992 and last set fees in 1993; staff said fees were adjusted for inflation in 2007 and again last year to $2.16 per billing unit. The proposed rate schedule presented to the board phases increases through fiscal year 2029; slides shown during the hearing compared Spokane County's proposed charges to neighboring jurisdictions and noted the county's current rate sits below several nearby cities. Public Works described planned uses for the new revenue: culvert maintenance and replacement, a short-span bridge repair program, expanded street sweeping, ditching and shouldering work, and targeted infrastructure projects to address flooding and water quality.

Public testimony included rural concerns. John Bjork of East Mead said his property receives little county stormwater benefit and estimated his household already pays about $465 annually for road-related property taxes; he told commissioners that the proposed stormwater fee would start at about $48 annually and rise by $12 in 2026, reaching about $84 a year, and asked that some areas be excluded or receive credits. Zaracore and commissioners said the proposed structure includes provisions to address high-risk drainage areas (5-Mile, West Plains and South Hill) and that the county planned a lower-impact, phased approach using the utility's fund balance for initial programming. Zaracore said the county typically diverts about half its transfer-station waste flows to nonstormwater facilities during high-volume months, underscoring the broader maintenance pressures on county resources.

Board members who spoke supported the change as a way to protect the county's largest asset, its road network. Commissioner French said rising costs and changing vehicle fuel use have squeezed road-fund revenue and made alternative funding mechanisms necessary to prevent road deterioration.

The motion to amend Spokane County Code Chapter 9.7 and adopt the rate schedule passed unanimously. No amendments were offered during the hearing; staff will return with implementing language and an updated rate schedule for billing.

The board opened a separate public hearing on the item before voting. The record shows one rural resident asked for area-specific exemptions; commissioners acknowledged those concerns and staff said work remains to refine program rollout and communications.