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Laramie adopts amended stormwater ordinance with rate caps after technical correction
Summary
On third reading the Laramie City Council adopted Ordinance 2116, setting caps on stormwater billing (staff cited nonresidential rate at no more than about $200 and residential at $30) and approving a staff-recommended technical amendment to correct a subsection reference; council discussed possible lower exemptions and public commenter Brett Glass urged a deductible for basic living space.
The Laramie City Council approved Ordinance 2116 on third and final reading Feb. 3, adopting changes to Laramie Municipal Code Title 13, Division 7, Chapter 13.8 related to surface water drainage. Councilor O'Doherty moved the ordinance on third reading and Council approved it after a staff-requested technical amendment correcting a subsection reference.
Director Webb said the ordinance’s "big item" is caps on billing units. "The caps on the billing units set the nonresidential rate no higher than $200 and some change, and residential at $30," Webb said, summarizing the changes and noting earlier readings adjusted condominium language and other verbiage.
Councilor O'Doherty moved an amendment to change a cross-reference in section 13.80.070 so that a property exemption points to subsection D (not B), explaining the prior edits had shifted subsection lettering; the amendment passed by roll call, 8–0 (1 absent).
Councilors debated whether to add a minimum 'floor' or a broader deductible to protect very small or low-income households. Vice Mayor Richardson and other councilors reported staff numbers showing exempting properties between 500 and 1,000 square feet would affect 55 properties and lower monthly revenue by only a few dollars per household; Richardson noted that households eligible for utility assistance would pay roughly $0.14 per month after assistance. Brett Glass, speaking remotely during public comment, urged an amendment to deduct two building units (or the equivalent of a basic living unit) from charges to protect renters and smaller households from regressive effects.
Councilors repeatedly emphasized the city’s low-income assistance option for utility charges and said the ordinance includes a minimum threshold so properties under 500 square feet are not billed. The ordinance as adopted includes the staff-recommended caps and the technical amendment; council voted 8–0 with one absent.
City staff said they will monitor the ordinance’s effects and continue public outreach on assistance programs.
