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Council weighs raising stormwater BMP credit cap to 50% and recommends Keystone for billing
Summary
Council and consultant Shawn Wingrove debated changes to the draft stormwater credit manual — including raising the structural BMP and cumulative credit caps from 35% to 50% — and staff recommended Keystone Collections for stormwater billing after reviewing three RFPs. Council asked staff to align the manual with study assumptions before implementing billing.
Council on April 21 focused substantial discussion on a draft stormwater credit manual and the mechanics of billing and crediting once the stormwater fee is implemented. Consultant Shawn Wingrove, called forward by the chief administrator, said other municipalities have had success keeping credit programs simple and commonly awarding credits for structural BMPs (detention basins, rain gardens), rain barrels and education/involvement activities.
"Simplicity is really everybody's friend as far as implementation," Wingrove said, urging clear submittal requirements and routine maintenance checks. He told council that his study modeled a 50% BMP credit as a realistic incentive and that the revenue projections baked that assumption into the analysis: "1,017,000 is the ceiling if everybody pays full freight; 933,660 is the floor if a quarter of non‑single‑family properties get a 50% credit," he said.
Michael, the chief administrator, noted the draft credit manual currently limits cumulative credits to 35% and caps structural BMP credit at 35% as well. Council members pressed whether increasing the BMP cap and the overall cumulative cap to 50% would change the revenue assumptions. Wingrove said the financial model used a 50% assumption and that moving both the BMP cap and cumulative cap to 50% would still fall within the study’s collection estimates, given the study’s other assumptions about ERUs and likely credit uptake.
Council also discussed operational details: appeals and submittals for credits, the need for an application and review process (particularly for non‑residential properties), and inspection/renewal cycles. Wingrove recommended five‑year renewal windows so municipalities can re‑inspect and confirm BMPs remain functional; he said poorly maintained BMPs should not receive credit.
On billing, Michael briefed council on three RFP responses for stormwater billing services — Keystone Collections, Berkheimer and the Turtle Creek Valley COG — and said staff favored Keystone because it integrates billing and collections in‑house and appeared to be the least expensive option. He recommended a three‑year agreement after the credit manual, appeal process and forms are finalized.
Council instructed staff to revise the draft credit manual to clarify cumulative credit calculation and to align manual language and caps with the financial study before final adoption and before beginning billing implementation.
The next procedural step is for staff to update the credit manual to reflect council direction, finalize forms and return with a recommendation for billing contract approval and an implementation timeline.
