Council hears early draft of stormwater utility rate as residents recount repeated downtown flooding

Town staff presented an early draft of a proposed stormwater-utility rate intended to fund repairs and system upgrades. The town manager said that, if adopted, the fee would appear on property tax bills rather than monthly water/sewer statements and that engineers have identified seven critical areas requiring repair; staff aim for a first reading next month.

A longtime downtown property owner described repeated flooding after a recent 2.5-inch rain and urged the town to ensure debris-clearing capacity before storms. "All it takes is a rake or a shovel to unplug the drains, and in 2 minutes, the water's gone," the resident said, recounting multiple episodes of water entering commercial buildings and damaged property.

Staff and council discussed the need for both short-term operational fixes (debris-clearing and standby response when heavy rain is forecast) and long-term capital improvements; staff noted some pipe segments are mismatched and in poor condition, increasing the risk of pipe collapse and sinkholes. Council instructed staff to continue engineering analysis and to prepare materials for a possible first reading of a stormwater rate at the next meeting.