Winter Springs commission directs deeper review of stormwater pond maintenance program, delays rate decision

Winter Springs — City staff and consultants told the Winter Springs City Commission on Jan. 9 that the city’s inventory includes roughly 360–368 stormwater ponds and outlined three options for adding a pond‑maintenance program to the upcoming stormwater utility rate study.

Public Works and Utilities Director Clete Saunier and Kimley‑Horn consultant Julia Felter detailed the categories staff used — “public” ponds on city property, “hybrid” ponds that receive roadway drainage but may sit on private or HOA land, and “private” ponds that serve only private developments. Felter said staff identified 48 public ponds and 95 hybrid ponds, of which 55 have recorded maintenance responsibilities and 40 do not. “There happen to be over 360 ponds in the boundaries of the city of Winter Springs,” Saunier told the commission.

Why it matters: The classification determines whether the city can legally and equitably spend public dollars to maintain a pond and whether its costs should be rolled into a monthly stormwater fee paid by ratepayers. Commissioners repeatedly emphasized fairness: a flat monthly fee affects low‑income households proportionally more than high‑value properties, and private ponds used by a few high‑value owners could shift costs to broader neighborhoods.

What the consultants proposed: Kimley‑Horn presented three 15‑year scenarios. A policy covering only city‑owned public ponds (48 ponds) would raise the stormwater charge by about $1.40 per month. Adding hybrids with recorded maintenance obligations (bringing the total to ~103 ponds) would raise the charge by about $3.75 per month. Including all hybrid ponds identified in staff’s mapping (about 143 ponds) would increase the rate by roughly $4.80 per month.

Commissioner concerns and staff direction: Commissioners asked whether the city is already providing ad‑hoc maintenance on some private or undocumented hybrid ponds, how a future appeals process would work, and what legal exposure the city would face if it maintained some private ponds but not others. Deputy Mayor Cade Resnick urged staff to consider whether stormwater flows from public roads into those ponds and whether that establishes a “public need” to support maintenance.

City Attorney Anthony A. Garniz and staff cautioned that the city cannot use tax dollars on purely private property absent a demonstrated public benefit or recorded easement. Commissioners asked staff to clarify which ponds have recorded easements or maintenance agreements and to prepare a simple, Excel‑style spreadsheet that lists each pond, ownership/easement status, whether it receives road drainage and the consultant’s recommended category.

Next steps: Staff and the consultants agreed to do a deeper review of private versus hybrid ponds, produce the requested pond inventory spreadsheet and report back at a subsequent meeting. The commission did not vote on any rate change at the Jan. 9 meeting and directed staff to refine policy language, cost estimates and potential appeal procedures before a future rate hearing.

Representative quotes: “Staff and consultant work over the last six months showed there are over 360 ponds in the city boundaries,” Public Works Director Clete Saunier said. “We can include as many or as few of those ponds in the maintenance program as the commission directs.”

“This is the first bite out of the elephant,” Mayor Kevin McCann said, urging commissioners to give staff time to prepare more granular materials.

What to watch: The commission’s next discussion should include the spreadsheet of pond records and the consultant’s updated rate calculations and legal analysis of easements and potential appeals. If the commission directs inclusion of additional hybrid ponds, the consultant’s later rate recommendation could be higher than the figures presented on Jan. 9.

Context and limitations: Article reflects discussions and numbers presented at the Jan. 9 commission meeting. The city’s final rate proposal will depend on the follow‑up analysis staff and consultants produce; no rate vote occurred at this meeting.