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Stormwater board recommends 2027 budget after debate over reserves and fee study
Summary
Beaufort CountyStormwater Management Utility Board unanimously recommended the proposed FY2027 budget after staff outlined a $1.5 million buyout allocation and a six-month stormwater-fee study; board members pressed for clearer timelines, asset reporting and a sustainable reserve strategy.
The Beaufort County Stormwater Management Utility Board voted unanimously Feb. 11 to recommend the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget after staff described how the utility would use fund reserves and finish a fee study that could change the rate structure.
Taylor Brewer, stormwater program manager, told the board the county currently holds roughly $21,000,000 in the stormwater reserve. She said management plans to use about $4,000,000 per year from reserves over the next two years to fund capital projects and that finance has advised maintaining an operational balance equivalent to one to two years of expenses (about $16,000,000 by staff estimates).
Brewer said the county retooled the Wilbur-conducted utility fee study to include not just fee structure options but also an assessment of level of service, staffing and equipment needs. She said the study timeline is about six months and will provide options including shifting more of the fee burden to commercial customers or increasing rates to match desired service levels.
Board members pressed for a clearer path to replenishing reserves and for public reporting that shows progress on district-level projects. Councilman Ritz and others urged staff to produce more specific, district-based project reports so residents have a clear timeline and status for work in their neighborhoods. Brewer said the county is moving condition assessments into GIS, integrating CCTV footage into asset records and pursuing a Smartsheet license that will allow more detailed project tracking and public-facing timelines once the countywide website overhaul is complete.
The budget package also includes a $1.5 million land-acquisition line item that staff said would support limited buyouts for repeatedly inundated properties if the buyout program is approved. Brewer said legal counsel had given a verbal OK to begin developing a buyout program and that any buyouts would be offered on an individual application basis with standards tied to inundation records.
After discussion, the board passed a motion recommending the FY2027 budget. The chair closed the discussion by asking liaisons to take the board's concerns about reporting and staffing to county council and to advocate for the utility to remain an enterprise fund rather than be folded into the general fund.
The board also agreed staff would report more detailed project timelines at future meetings. The motion to recommend the budget passed unanimously.
