Deanna Stockton, the municipality’s deputy administrator, and consultant Jim Purcell told the Mayor and Council on Nov. 24 that Princeton should move its stormwater utility feasibility study into a third phase to finalize program design, an annual budget, user-fee structure and credit policies. Stockton said the work to date showed Princeton’s stormwater responsibilities are overstretching existing staff and resources and that New Jersey permit requirements now demand more inspections, documentation and retrofits.

The presentation traced the four-phase study that began in 2022 and noted Phase 2 produced working deliverables — including an impervious-surface ERU database and interactive cost model — but not a single summary document. ‘‘Phase 3 is where we will be finalizing the programming, annual budget, user fee and credit policies,’’ Stockton said, adding the decision to enter Phase 3 ‘‘is not a decision to implement a stormwater utility.’’

Why it matters: Princeton officials said the state MS4 stormwater permit contains new, largely unfunded requirements (including expanded sweeping, inventory and retrofit timelines and more documentation) that are straining the town’s reactive maintenance model. A utility would recognize stormwater as a municipal service and shift costs toward those whose properties create runoff, councilmembers were told.

Council members asked for clarity about what Phase 2 produced and how the public would be engaged. Purcell and Jamie Einstein of consultant Princeton Hydro said Phase 2 outputs are modular spreadsheets and technical products; they agreed to compile accessible files and share meeting minutes and stakeholder notes so council members and the public can review the assumptions behind the cost model. Purcell described current operations as ‘‘reactive’’ because aging infrastructure and limited staff mean inspections and repairs occur in response to failures rather than on a scheduled, preventative basis.

On credits and outreach, presenters said New Jersey stormwater legislation requires that utilities offer credits and that the study’s focus group discussed three levels of partial fee reductions tied to measurable site improvements. Practical examples discussed as potential credit-eligible measures included rain gardens, pervious driveways and green or blue roofs, though the presenters cautioned that work required by municipal approvals could be ineligible for credits.

Next steps: Council supported moving to Phase 3 but asked that the consultants return with a formal proposal that includes the Phase 3 scope, schedule and a consultant fee estimate for council approval before finalizing any implementation decisions. Stockton and Purcell said they would provide more user-friendly project materials and a public engagement plan, working with Sustainable Princeton and other stakeholders.

A quote that captures the discussion: ‘‘This is not a decision to implement a stormwater utility. It is a decision to continue to refine the program policies and budget that would be the basis of a utility,’’ Stockton told the council. The council did not vote to create a utility; it authorized moving the study into Phase 3 work.