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Board schedules second reading of updated stormwater manual ordinance; members ask for clearer grandfathering language
Summary
The Little Rock Board of Directors advanced an ordinance updating the city’s stormwater and drainage manual to second reading while directing staff to clarify grandfathering language and publish the manual for public review.
The Little Rock Board of Directors held detailed discussion about an ordinance to adopt an updated stormwater and drainage manual and corresponding changes to Chapter 29 of the Little Rock Code of Ordinances.
The ordinance, described in the meeting record as updating the stormwater manual to include water-quality provisions consistent with the city's MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer system) permit and other technical clarifications, was read for second reading and the board voted to place it for second reading. Members discussed the need to clarify transition language and publish the updated manual for public review before final adoption.
Director Jordan reported recent stakeholder meetings and said the draft has gone through multiple revisions. He told the board there was a tentative agreement on provisions for sites under one acre and that staff would bring a detailed proposal back in 18 months for those small sites. Director Computis said the meeting made “great progress” and confirmed the plan to fully develop rules for lots under one acre within the 18-month timeframe. Several directors, including Director Phillips and Director Hines, urged more precise language in the ordinance’s transition section so that references to the “current adopted manual” cannot be misread in future years; Phillips suggested explicitly defining which manual or ordinance version applies to projects reviewed before April 1, 2025.
Director Hines also said the updated stormwater manual must be completed and published with sufficient time for public review before any final vote; Hines said he did not want the community or stakeholders to see the manual only the night of a vote. Director Wyatt asked about grandfathering for pending applications; staff and directors said the ordinance contains a grandfathering provision and that planning and public-works staff provided language and a timeframe for how an application qualifies.
The board approved moving the ordinance to a second reading but did not adopt it on final passage at this meeting; city staff and the city attorney indicated additional legal review would be ready by the next meeting and the board agreed to postpone final action until members and the public have time to review the published manual and clarified ordinance language.
Ending: The board advanced the ordinance to a second reading and directed staff to publish the updated stormwater manual and to supply refined transition language clarifying what constitutes the “current adopted manual” for projects under review.
