Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Staff says stormwater fee needs ~36% boost to match 2018 buying power; commissioners discuss phasing
Summary
Staff told the commission the stormwater fee set in 2018 ($80.84/year residential) needs a roughly 36% increase to restore purchasing power and address accelerating failures; commissioners considered phased increases and nonreplacement options such as returning some buried pipes to open ditches.
City staff reported that the stormwater fee adopted in 2018 ($80.84 per year for residential accounts) has not kept pace with construction-cost inflation and that restoring 2018 purchasing power would require about a 36% increase, increasing a typical residential fee to roughly $114 per year.
Staff described accelerating system failures — including a recent ~200-foot failure under heavy truck traffic with an unanticipated ~$300,000 repair — and said the city currently brings in about $1.3 million a year for stormwater work. "To get back to 2018, it would be 36%," staff said; commissioners discussed options such as phasing the increase (for example, 20% this year and smaller increases later) and operational alternatives like leaving some conveyances as open ditches instead of replacing buried pipe to reduce capital costs.
Staff noted that stormwater work is prioritized by life-safety and property-damage scoring and that there are roughly 129 miles of stormwater conveyance and 162 miles of sanitary system in the city, underscoring the scale of deferred maintenance. Commissioners requested options for phased increases and prioritized project lists to inform the upcoming budget cycle.
