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Finance committee approves consultant study for a possible storm drain utility
Summary
The Santa Barbara City Finance Committee voted unanimously May 19 to authorize staff to issue an RFP for a consultant to study creating a storm drain utility, including feasibility, assessment methods, and whether a ballot measure would be required. Staff estimated a preliminary scale of about $100 per parcel per year as an example for study.
The Santa Barbara City Finance Committee on May 19 voted unanimously to authorize staff to solicit a consultant to study the feasibility of creating a storm drain utility and the assessment methodology that could fund operations and maintenance.
City public works staff framed the request as an exploratory step to answer public and council questions about potential costs, ballot requirements and uses of revenue. Brian DeMour presented the item to the committee and said staff did not yet have answers but wanted an outside consultant to evaluate whether a dedicated funding source made sense for the aging and complex storm drain network.
Adam Bridal, the city’s public works operations manager, said staff currently estimate about $2,000,000 per year is spent on operation and maintenance and that, "very preliminarily, staff have calculated it could be on the order of a $100 per year per parcel." He told the committee the study would examine how assessments could be allocated by parcel size and land use, following approaches used by the Santa Barbara County Flood Control District.
Committee members asked whether the study would consider major projects such as the State Street master plan, whether properties could be charged twice for runoff that originates in public right‑of‑way, and whether properties that retain stormwater on‑site would receive discounts. Bridal and staff said those issues and commercial/residential distinctions would be part of the consultant’s scope and assessment methodology.
A motion to adopt the staff recommendation to proceed with the RFP and the consultant study was moved and seconded; the committee approved it unanimously. Staff said they expect to publish an RFP, return with consultant findings and proposed assessment methods to the council and public in 2027, and that any service charge would likely require a voter proposition before implementation (staff noted a target of putting the charge in place for fiscal year 2029 if approved).
