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What Are Your
Stormwater Utility Fees Paying For?
The City’s Lakes Management division is responsible for maintaining, repairing, and expanding the City’s stormwater system while complying with Federal water quality mandates. The stormwater system is separate from drinking water and sewer systems.
Historically the City has been attempting to fund its Lakes Management and Stormwater programs, as laid out in the award winning Stormwater Lakes Management Plan (SLMP), through funds within the General Fund. Over the past few years it has become increasingly more difficult to continue the expected levels of service within this program solely utilizing General Funds. An ordinance has been proposed which establishes a special revenue fund for the stormwater utility that can only be used to cover the costs within the stormwater and lakes management program.
Operating Activities
• Systematic and preventative maintenance at needed frequencies
• Cleaning of catch basins and inlets
• Cleaning stormwater pipe
• Performing repairs and swale maintenance
• Providing water quality treatment maintenance
• Street sweeping every City street twice per month
• Spraying of lakes to control aquatic weeds
Capital Improvement Projects
• $2.5M to fund eight projects over a 5 year period for stormwater and lake clean up projects.
• Updates to the SLMP
• Implementation of priority projects in SLMP
Water Quality Management
• Implementation of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) Phase II stormwater permit via implementation of the Integrated Stormwater Management Plan. These NPDES initiatives require us to perform the following:
o Complete NPDES Annual Report (due November 1, yearly)
o Implement public education programs
o Implement public participation programs
o Implement business/industrial illicit discharge programs
o Implement construction site pollution prevention programs
o Implement post-construction control programs
o Implement municipal maintenance improvement programs
o Protect drinking water protection areas
Public Information
• Public calls/inquiries/outreach regarding general Stormwater Program/ Stormwater Utility Fee
• Print material, media outreach and interviews
Engineering and Project Management
• Technical Support for all stormwater program areas
• Plan Reviews
• Design reviews
• Field inspections and enforcements (~150/year)
• Drainage plan reviews annually
• Various neighborhood projects annually
• Structural and non structural project/program planning
• Ensuring consistent design criteria and standards
• Preparing accurate stormwater system inventory
• Assisting to install capital improvement project.
Utility Support
• Utility Support—financial, personnel, work management
• Create and implement credit and appeals programs
• Complaint response
• Interdepartmental Coordination
• Supervisor and Administrative Oversight
• Budgeting and expenditure management
Fully Funded or Partially Funded?
The City hired Woolpert (formerly TEK Consulting); a design and engineering consulting firm specializing in stormwater services to assist in creating and implementing a Stormwater Special Revenue fund for stormwater purposes. To date City staff, along with the consultant, have held two workshops with City Council in June of 2008 to discuss and evaluate the City’s options for continued funding of the stormwater lakes management program.
Discussions have involved implementing a stormwater program that is fully funded utilizing a stormwater utility fee or one that is only partially funded through that fee.
The consultants project expending an average of $1.3M per year for FY 2009 - 2013 to fund personnel costs, operating and maintenance expenses, and implement capital improvement projects. Previously, the stormwater program has been solely funded out of the City’s general fund which derives most of its revenue stream from property taxes.
A study was performed to determine the rates necessary to support various funding thresholds. The results were as follows:
| Monthly Rate per ERU | Annual Fees Collected |
| $4 | $576,384 |
| $5 | $720,480 |
| $6 | $864,576 |
| $7 | $1,008,672 |
| $8 | $1,152,768 |
| $9 | $1,296,864 |
| $10 | $1,440,960 |
| $11 | $1,585,056 |
| $12 | $1,729,152 |
Future Expenses
Including Personnel, Capital, and Operating Costs
FY 2008 to FY 2012
| | FY 09 | FY 10 | FY 11 | FY 12 | FY 13 | Total 2009 to 2013 |
| Total CIP Costs | $ 345,000 | $ 510,000 | $ 451,000 | $ 781,000 | $ 900,000 | $2,987,000 |
| Total Operating Expenses | $ 783,802 | $ 789,546 | $ 783,862 | $ 802,763 | $ 822,029 | $3,982,002 |
| Total Operating &
CIP | $ 1,128,802 | $ 1,299,546 | $ 1,234,862 | $ 1,583,763 | $ 1,722,029 | $ 6,969,002 |
* The stormwater expenditures average approximately $1.3M per year.
Proposed Stormwater Projects
FY 2008 to FY 2012
In addition to the standard operating costs within the stormwater program which fund the street sweeping program, drain and inlet cleaning, program coordination efforts and personnel costs the program also includes funding for Capital Improvement Projects designed to improve the quality of Maitland’s Lake system.
Following is a chart detailing scheduled CIP projects including costs and an implementation schedule over the next five years.
| | FY 09 | FY 10 | FY 11 | FY 12 | FY 13 | Total 2008 to 2012 |
| O&M | $75,000 | $75,000 | $75,000 | $75,000 | $75,000 | $375,000 |
| Lake Maitland Basin | $270,000 | $270,000 | | | | $540,000 |
| Required improvements to 17-92 Corridor, developer driven | | $165,000 | | | | $165,000 |
| Lake Gem/Park Lake COOP BMP | | | $120,000 | $120,000 | | $240,000 |
| Lake Catherine/ Lake Eulalia Swales | | | $156,000 | | | $156,000 |
| Lake Sybelia near Art Center | | | | $486,000 | | $486,000 |
| Lake Nina | | | | | $650,000 | $650,000 |
| Sybelia near Hill Rec Center | | | | | $75,000 | $75,000 |
| TMDL Projects | | | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | $300,000 |
Unfunded Projects
| Lake | Description | Planned Implementation | Cost |
| Lake Lily | Bio-retention | Not yet funded | $397,000 |
| Lake Lily | Off-Line Retention | Not yet funded | $660,000 |
| Lake Lily | In-Lake BMP | Not yet funded | $12,000 |
| Lake Lily | Infiltration Systems Trenches | Not yet funded | $536,000 |
| Lake Minnehaha | Natural Wetlands | Not yet funded | $2,894,000
| | Lake Minnehaha | Ferrous sulfate/calcium Treatment | Not yet funded | $2,038,000 |
| Lake Gem | Off-line Retention | Not yet funded | $3,121,000 |
| Grand Total | | | $9,658,000 |
Proposed Rate Structure Methodology
• Based on Impervious Area - area such as concrete which doesn’t allow run off to penetrate
• 1 Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) = 2,532 Square Feet of Impervious Area
• Fees Collected on Utility Bill
Proposed Rate Classes
| Category | Structure Size | ERUs |
| Small Residential | (1 to 2,166 sq. ft.) | 0.7 |
| Medium Residential | (2,167 to 2,994 sq. ft.) | 1.0 |
| Large Residential | (2,995 to 4,499 sq. ft.) | 1.4 |
| Condominium Residential Unit Parcel | 1 condo or apartment | 1.0 |
| General Parcel* | Any Size | SF of Imper / 2,532 |
| Vacant | Any Size | 0.0 |
* General Parcels include all other developed parcels not previously included in a Rate Class, such as houses over 4,499 SF, commercial buildings, industrial buildings, etc.
Where Do We Go From Here?
In order to implement a Stormwater Utility Fee it will be necessary to modify the City’s current stormwater ordinance. The first reading of this ordinance was scheduled for the City Council Meeting on July 14th. The item was tabled and will now come back before City Council for a first reading on July 28th. The second reading will be tentatively scheduled for August 11th.
In order to allow the public an opportunity for comment a Public Information Meeting to discuss the stormwater utility fee implementation has been scheduled for July 17, 2008 at Maitland City Hall from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Implementation of a rate to support the stormwater utility will take place in the form of a rate resolution and is tentatively scheduled to be brought before City Council at the first City Council Meeting on August 11th. A Rate Resolution only requires one reading.
Once these items have been approved by City Council residents and businesses within the City will be billed for these services starting in October of 2008.
Lakes Management
Customer Services
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