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Fletcher officials advance draft stormwater grant program that would cover most costs for qualifying projects
Summary
The town manager presented a revised stormwater off right-of-way grant program that would consolidate grant tiers into two categories (up to $30,000 and up to $10,000) with a 90/10 town-property owner split; staff recommended advertising the program and seeking council approval and a $100,000 CIP appropriation next week.
The Fletcher Town Manager presented a revised draft of a stormwater off right-of-way grant program that would prioritize projects with demonstrable public benefit and place most of the cost burden on the town.
Under the proposal, the grant program would have two categories: a Category 1 award of up to $30,000 for projects that address a threat to a structure and a Category 2 award of up to $10,000 for conveyance or basic drainage improvements. Both categories are written as a 90/10 cost-share, with the town covering 90% of eligible costs and the property owner responsible for 10%.
The manager said staff and the town attorney reviewed the draft and that McGill Associates provided additional technical comments. "We consolidated down to two" categories, the manager told the council, explaining the reasoning for limiting the number of tiers and describing expected application and review steps.
McGill Associates raised a substantive concern the council agreed to address: projects should demonstrate a public benefit by showing runoff affects a public right-of-way or public property, not only private, self-contained drainage. Ben Cathy of McGill suggested clarifying language so the advisory panel does not recommend projects that mainly benefit a single property without public impact.
Council members also discussed contractor qualifications and insurance. The manager said staff will seek a clear, concise requirement that contractors hold appropriate North Carolina licenses and carry standard insurance rather than listing every policy type in the ordinance. The manager said McGill may recommend when a civil engineer should review technically complex projects.
On legal protections, McGill recommended stronger indemnification language in the agreement so the town is protected during and after construction; the manager will draft suggested language and have the town attorney review it.
Timing and funding were central to the discussion. The manager proposed quarterly application deadlines but, after council discussion, suggested moving to a monthly review cadence to accelerate decisions. He recommended a $100,000 initial fund for the program, saying the town can appropriate the money from the Capital Improvements Plan and follow up with a formal budget amendment. "If you approve it next week, we could release that middle of this month," he said.
The manager also proposed outreach materials including a one-page summary, website post, social media and phone notifications to publicize the program and encourage eligible applicants to apply.
Next steps: staff will incorporate McGill's technical suggestions (public-benefit language, clarifications on encroachment and contractor licensing, and indemnification language), prepare a budget amendment with finance staff for council consideration next week, and circulate a revised packet for final review. No formal vote on the program occurred during this meeting.
