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Democracy on the Front Lines
City Administrator’s Blog
Walter Denton
January 26, 2006
The Public Works Committee held a joint meeting with the Stormwater Advisory Committee (SWAC) last night to discuss the SWAC’s recommendations to establish a stormwater management program. Their recommendations include a $1.2 million per year stormwater program to be funded through a combination of Proposition S revenue and a new stormwater utility. (To see the final report and the presentation, click here and here.)
A stormwater utility is based on the premise that the urban drainage system is a public system, similar to a water or sewer system. When a business or resident uses the water or sewer system, the user pays. Similarly, when an open field is paved for a house or a business, a greater flow of water is placed on the drainage system. The greater the parcel of land is paved, the greater the user fee. Landowners can receive credits for on-site detention, but generally commercial operations with large paved areas will pay more in stormwater fees than residences.
To fund an effective stormwater management program, the committee recommended a stormwater fee between $3-5 per month per household (depending on how much Prop S money is allocated). The committee was not comfortable asking for more than $5 per month. Businesses would pay more depending on how much impervious (paved) surface is on the property and how much stormwater detention is located on site.
In addition to capital projects to resolve the city’s flooding problems, the program would include hiring a stormwater crew to maintain the current stormwater infrastructure and inspectors to ensure that new development is constructing adequate stormwater systems. A portion of the funding also would be used for stormwater master planning and to comply with state and federal regulations.
As I discussed in a previous blog, the case for an expanded stormwater program is compelling. The current stormwater budget includes $250,000 from the ½-cent Prop S sales tax and $185,000 in general fund resources. A Stormwater Master Plan was developed in 2004 that identifies more than $12 million in needed projects. In addition, a citizen survey conducted last year indicated that only 34% of respondents feel that the City’s storm drainage program is “good” or “excellent,” and 55% agree or strongly agree that stormwater is a
major problem in O’Fallon.
Stormwater utilities have been around for a while, established by more than 400 cities nationwide. They are fairly new in Illinois but have been upheld in court as a viable funding source. The fees are equitable, sustainable, and accountable for funding a stormwater management program.
The Public Works Committee will now review the proposal and determine what to recommend to the City Council. If the committee agrees to establish a stormwater utility, the next step would be for the City Council to approve a resolution establishing a stormwater utility in concept and direct staff to develop a fair and equitable utility program. Our consultants (AMEC) estimate it will take about 12 months to create the program before any fees are assessed.
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