Douglas County weighs stormwater utility, proposes tiered fees and capital surcharge after public debate

Douglas County officials on May 5 laid out a detailed plan to create a countywide stormwater utility funded by property-based service fees, while hearing hours of public comment both supporting and opposing the measure.

At a special meeting, Assistant County Manager Wendy Lang described the ordinance introduced for first reading — Ordinance 2026-1670 — which would add Appendix G (Stormwater Utility Service) to Title 20 of the county code and establish a dedicated enterprise fund for planning, constructing, operating and maintaining regional stormwater infrastructure. "Ordinance 2026-1670, an ordinance establishing a countywide stormwater utility by adding Appendix G stormwater utility service to Title 20 of the Douglas County code," Lang told the board during the presentation.

Why it matters: County staff and consultants said the stormwater division, created in 2018 and recently formalized in a 2024 master plan, lacks a sustainable funding source; continued reliance on general-fund transfers has left operations vulnerable and could force cuts to road maintenance. County Manager Jennifer Davidson pressed that the utility is meant to sustain day-to-day operations and required drainage assets, not to prevent every flood event. "A lot of the infrastructure that is installed to handle just day to day stormwater, snow melt... is still required in order for us to function properly," Davidson said, adding that the program’s…