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Committee reviews $81,000 stormwater education campaign to meet NPDES requirements
Summary
Parks and public works staff presented AB 25-099, a proposed $81,000 contract to implement a community-based social marketing campaign aimed at changing yard-care behavior to reduce stormwater pollution; discussion focused on grant funding limits, alternative budget options and performance metrics.
Patrick Fry, parks and public works project engineer, presented agenda bill AB 25-099 on a proposed contract with Herrera to implement a community-based social marketing campaign required under the city’s NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit.
“Essentially, we have to educate the public on stormwater and how it affects our natural environment,” Fry said, describing the plan as a continuation and expansion of a previous natural-lawn-care campaign. The proposal would fund demonstration lawns, yard signs, mailers, social media outreach and a basin-vs.-basin participation competition. Fry said the city already received consultant work developing the plan under an earlier contract (AB 25-063) and the new contract is for implementation and evaluation through 2028.
The presentation identified funding sources and impacts: an Ecology grant that provides $130,000 biannually for similar NPDES-required outreach, the prior contract AB 25-063 at roughly $68,000 and the new AB 25-099 at $81,000. Fry said the $81,000 campaign would leave an estimated $20,000 budgetary impact to the city’s stormwater operations fund (Fund 403).
Committee members pressed staff on whether the campaign could be scaled down to avoid drawing on local funds. One committee member asked if the city could secure additional Ecology grant money; Fry replied, “No. Unfortunately, not. So that $130,000 goes out to every single city.” Fry and others said Ecology’s grant amounts are fixed and cities are expected to cover supplemental costs from their stormwater utility budgets.
Members asked for a menu of options—“bare minimum,” “midrange” and “full” campaigns—so the committee could see tradeoffs between cost and expected participation. Fry said the consultant had proposed a middle-ground package estimated at $81,000 but offered to return with a pared-down “bare minimum” option that would meet permit requirements at lower cost.
Committee discussion repeatedly returned to metrics and benefits. Fry said higher resident participation could reduce sediment in catch basins and therefore cleaning frequency, but he cautioned that short-term savings are hard to quantify. “In the long run, maybe. It’s really hard to put a number on that,” Fry said when asked whether the program could save the stormwater utility $20,000.
A resident speaker asked for city resources on natural lawn-care alternatives; Fry said the consultant could add materials to the city website at no extra cost. Several committee members emphasized fiscal restraint and asked staff to present cost-reduction options and the minimum necessary to meet NPDES obligations.
The committee did not take a formal vote on AB 25-099 at the meeting. Staff left the committee with a direction to provide a clearer set of options (bare minimum, the proposed midrange package, and a full package), more precise budget impacts on Fund 403, and supporting documentation about the NPDES requirements and metrics. Fry said staff would return with that information and that the campaign is planned to kick off next spring if approved.
Ending: The committee signaled support for refining the proposal and asked staff for a menu of alternatives and clearer budget numbers before approving a contract. No contract award or formal appropriation was made at this meeting.
