Stormwater rewrite debated; conservation agent asks for working group, committee postpones

The ordinance committee discussed a proposed rewrite of Brockton's stormwater-management ordinance July 21 that would align the city's requirements with evolving state technical standards and reduce duplicative local review.

DPW staff and outside consultants explained the existing city ordinance imposes a second layer of review that requires applicants to design stormwater controls to two different standards, causing delays and additional costs. "We're basically asking applicants to design a stormwater system twice," a department representative said.

Conservation Agent Kyle Holden told the committee he supported streamlining but urged the city to preserve a multi-member stormwater authority and to resolve staffing and public-accountability issues. He also urged the city to use the opportunity to review related items such as floodplain administration (NFIP) and green-space/impervious-surface controls.

Attorney Resnick warned that the version with tracked changes differs substantially from the original ordinance submitted and recommended care in adopting such broad edits; some councilors said they needed more time to review the redlined language. Several members suggested a working group with stakeholders to refine language and to ensure the stormwater authority retains public-facing functions for complaints and transparency.

Because the amended text was presented at the meeting and some members wanted time to consult with staff and stakeholders, the committee voted to postpone the matter to the next ordinance meeting to allow further review and amendments.

Staff indicated they would provide the finalized redline and substitute versions to committee members for review and meet with the conservation agent and other stakeholders to refine the draft before returning it for further action.