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Council asks staff to study increasing drainage fee, cites maintenance burden on creeks
Summary
Councilman Michael Dean urged the city to review drainage-basin maintenance and consider raising the drainage fee and updating ordinances so funds can be used for clearing creeks and flood mitigation; council asked staff to place the item on a future agenda for formal discussion.
Councilman Michael Dean raised a multi-part concern about drainage basins and creek maintenance during the Sept. 3 meeting, asking the city to review whether the current drainage fee and related ordinances allow the city to spend fee revenue on clearing waterways and mitigating flood damage.
"The drainage fee on our different properties...has always been basically set and has not increased at all," Dean said, noting that the cost of clearing trees and vegetation has risen substantially. He recommended staff examine an increase to the drainage fee and confirm that ordinances permit using those funds for maintenance.
Council and staff discussed responsibility for creek maintenance, with members expressing that while property owners have some responsibility for land abutting creeks, the city cannot expect residents to remove large tree debris or perform heavy maintenance alone. Mayor Eason and the chair asked staff to note the request and bring a formal agenda item back for discussion so the topic could be considered with ordinance language and budget implications.
Next steps: city staff will prepare an agenda item with options to amend ordinances, proposed fee amounts, and potential uses of fee revenue for council consideration.
