Council reviews $7.5M stormwater program and resilience projects as part of FY25 planning

Town staff outlined a proposed stormwater fund budget of approximately $7.5 million at the May 14 budget workshop and described how the fund would be used for routine maintenance, corrective projects and capital improvements tied to island resilience.

Sean, the assistant town manager with stormwater oversight, told council the fund’s revenue comes primarily from stormwater utility fees, prior‑year funds and some investment income and plan‑review fees. He reported the town currently has 22 stormwater agreements (with four new applicants in process) and presented maintenance cost breakdowns that include channel maintenance, POA system maintenance, pump station work and street sweeping.

Staff flagged a group of resilience projects they expect to advance: Gumtree Road improvements, Jarvis Creek outfall work, pump station upgrades (including Wexford), Main Street drainage and a suite of pocket‑scale measures identified through the resilience planning effort. Mark and councilors emphasized the distinction between assets the town controls and drainage the town must coordinate on with Beaufort County, SCDOT and private property owners; staff promised a deeper stormwater utility briefing and a resilience plan that will map responsibilities and costs.

Several councilors urged careful attention to maintenance obligations and asked staff to track aggregate maintenance needs and long‑term funding through a rate study tied to the resilience plan. Sean said staff will return with a deeper dive and that projects will be reported through the CIP and the finance and administrative committee for oversight.