Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Marion County commissioners approve unchanged $15 stormwater assessment
Summary
The Marion County Board of County Commissioners approved the annual resolution keeping the stormwater services assessment at the current maximum of $15 per equivalent stormwater unit; staff said the fee funds mandated Clean Water Act/NPDES compliance and county right‑of‑way maintenance.
The Marion County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt the annual resolution for stormwater services and stormwater management programs and to certify the non‑ad valorem assessment roll, keeping the residential assessment at the current maximum of $15 per equivalent stormwater unit.
County staff and the county engineer told the board that the stormwater assessment funds two components: a program component (about $10) that pays for mandated National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) work such as public outreach, construction‑site runoff controls and related best‑management practices, and a maintenance component (about $5) for infrastructure in county rights‑of‑way including pond and conveyance maintenance.
The tentative stormwater budget for the coming fiscal year is $4,026,722.11, and staff told the board there is no proposed rate increase this year. County Engineer Steven Cahoon summarized the federal and state requirements driving the program, citing the Clean Water Act and MS4/NPDES obligations and saying the program is an unfunded federal mandate that counties must meet.
During the public comment period, residents asked whether the assessment covers work on private property and how the charge relates to new construction rules requiring compensating storage on private parcels. Cahoon and municipal services director Chad Wicker responded that assessment funds do not pay to fix private property: the $5 maintenance portion is for county rights‑of‑way and county‑owned systems, while the program element supports county‑wide compliance and inspections. Private property owners remain responsible for required compensating storage or other site‑specific mitigation.
Commission discussion was brief. Commissioner Stone made the motion to approve the assessment at $15 with Commissioner Curry seconding; the motions to adopt the resolution and to certify the assessment roll passed unanimously.
The board paused between this hearing and subsequent public hearings on solid waste and fire rescue assessments.
What the board decided is procedural (an annual resolution and certification of the non‑ad valorem roll) and does not change the rate for FY 2025‑26. Further discussion about stormwater program priorities, credits and parcel‑level impacts would follow in staff briefings or future agenda items.
