Takoma Park budget work session centers on stormwater permit changes, vehicle purchases and EV charging plans

Takoma Park officials used a special budget work session to review proposed FY27 public‑works and stormwater spending, focusing on permit‑driven stormwater requirements and capital items including vehicles and EV charging infrastructure.

Public Works Director Daryl Braithwaite told the council the department manages the city's entire storm system (about 19 miles of pipe, 745 inlets and 79 outfalls) and is preparing for changes to the state NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit. He said the new permit will add documentation requirements for salt use, require more outreach to communities flagged for environmental‑justice concerns, and raise the required area treated by 10 percentage points (about 46 acres) beyond the city's current baseline of roughly 462 acres.

"The new treatment requirement will add an additional 46 acres of treatment," Braithwaite said, and staff have identified projects—bioretention, infiltration, permeable pavement, tree planting and stream restoration—that could provide the additional treatment credit. He added that some work will rely on design and coordination with Montgomery County and Park & Planning when projects cross county properties.

Why it matters: the higher treatment obligation creates a multi‑year compliance schedule and interacts with the city's capital planning. Braithwaite warned that the department must balance regulatory goals with flood‑response needs, so projects will be prioritized based on their combined water‑quality and flooding benefits.

Capital and fleet: Braithwaite said the city presently operates about 83 vehicles (52 police, 22 public works, plus smaller counts for other uses). The FY27 CIP lists vehicles and equipment replacements, and staff recommended purchasing fewer police cars this year than originally planned (two instead of four) while piloting EV models: "We're looking at those two police vehicles to be EVs and the public works vehicle to also be an EV," he said. Staff expect two EV pickup trucks (Silverados) to arrive in June and said the city has installed one fast charger and four level‑2 chargers for fleet charging at city facilities.

Funding and grants: Braithwaite said some charging infrastructure is funded through MEA and Pepco rebates, and that public chargers at the community center are grant‑funded and will go to bid soon. He identified several FY27 CIP items tied to the stop‑sign/red‑light camera fund (new sidewalk design, street rehabilitation, and traffic calming), and noted that the public‑works portion of the operating budget totals roughly $7 million with about $2 million produced by user fees and other non‑general‑fund sources.

Council questions and public comment: A public commenter, Paul Huebner (Ward 3), pressed city officials to clarify police vehicle counts and questioned a projected $1,337,000 for vehicles and equipment in FY25. Huebner also asked for documentation supporting a projection that stop‑sign and red‑light camera revenue could reach $3.5 million in FY27. Council members asked for line‑item detail on EV‑charger funding, the food‑waste pilot costs, and whether sidewalk and ADA design lines were properly categorized.

What happens next: staff said many of the grant‑funded projects will move forward as agreements are executed; some purchases and grant reimbursements may be shifted between fiscal years via routine budget amendments depending on bid timing and state approvals. The council will continue budget deliberations in subsequent work sessions and a public hearing on the manager's proposed budget is scheduled ahead of final action.

Sources: public presentation and Q&A during the Takoma Park FY27 budget work session; remarks by Public Works Director Daryl Braithwaite.