Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater Fee topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cupertino renews stormwater fees; council approves 3% CPI increase on 2019 fee
Summary
The Cupertino City Council voted to renew two parcel-based stormwater fees required for compliance with the San Francisco Bay municipal stormwater permit, leaving the 1992 fee unchanged and approving a 3% increase to the 2019 Clean Water and Storm Protection fee to cover a program deficit and rising costs.
Ursula Sarova, the city's environmental programs manager, told the City Council on June 2 that Cupertino must renew two parcel-based stormwater fees that fund the city's stormwater pollution prevention program and help the city comply with the San Francisco Bay municipal permit.
Sarova said the 1992 fee will remain at $19.92 because it has no built-in inflation mechanism, while the 2019 Clean Water and Storm Protection fee allows an annual CPI increase up to 3%. Staff recommended applying the 3% cap for the 2026-27 fiscal year; that increase would bring in an estimated $35,500 in additional revenue and amount to roughly $1.44 more per year for an average single-family parcel, Sarova said.
The city uses the two fees to pay for inspections, spill response, maintenance of trash-control devices, volunteer and staff-led creek cleanups, and half the cost of street sweeping operations. Sarova said the program currently collects about $1.5 million from the two fees but runs closer to $2.0 million in annual costs, and the fund balance is projected to be exhausted in fiscal year 2026-27 without adjustments.
Residents who spoke during the public hearing questioned service levels. Kathy Helgerson told the council she has been cleaning the storm drain in her cul-de-sac for decades and said some drains remain clogged for long periods. "You want to increase your rates. For what? You're not cleaning the storm drain," she said.
San Rao, another resident, said the staff report says the council may increase the fee, not that it must, and urged council members to vote no. "I don't believe there's any justification for this fee increase," he said, describing streets and drains that he asserts are not being cleaned.
Public works and finance staff told council members that every storm drain is inspected at least once a year, some receive multiple cleanings, and the program does not recover full costs from fees. Staff said they would follow up with more detailed accounting about which activities are paid from which fund accounts and promised to provide complaint data in a later memo at the council's request.
After brief council deliberations and no additional speakers, the council moved to adopt staff's recommendation: renew the 1992 fee at its current rate and renew the 2019 fee with a 3% CPI adjustment. The motion carried with Council Member Wong voting no.
What happens next: The fee renewal takes effect for the next assessment cycle and will appear on property tax bills. Council directed staff to provide additional detail about complaint volumes and fund accounting in a follow-up memo.
