12-06-2004 SPECIAL - Laserfiche WebLink

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POSSIBLE SOLUTION To meet the original intent of Ordinance No. 529 establishing a Storm Water Utility and making it ”just and equitable”, Staff is recommending that the City assign the Storm Water Utility based on the calculated storm water runoff for all properties. This would exclude low and medium density residential, which Staff recommends be assigned the utility on a per unit basis, or fraction thereof. The methodology with which Staff recommends this could be achieved is that storm water runoff be converted into a “Residential Equivalent Factor (REF)”. A Residential Equivalent Factor is the amount of storm water runoff a standard (1/4 acre) single family lot with a house, driveway, and other impervious areas generates. What this means is that the runoff for all properties, excluding low and medium density residential properties, would be calculated and a Residential Equivalent Factor (REF) assigned to it and the property be charged a storm water utility charge based on the number of REF’s it had. Single Family home properties would be assigned one (1) REF and other low density residential properties could be assigned a fraction of an REF (example: properties with 3 to 8 units pay 0.75 REF per unit). CURRENT WORK STATUS Earlier this year the City Council approved Resolution No. 6280 approving a Temporary Data Entry Position. This person was hired and has been updating the City’s Commercial Parcel Database as well as collecting the necessary data to allow for storm water runoff calculations to be conducted for every commercial and high density site within the City. As an additional benefit, commercial site and construction plans have been re-organized and categorized. This work is nearly complete, and has been a great success. Once completed, Staff could present a detailed proposal. Should the City Council wish to proceed with exploring this proposed methodology in which the City assigns a Storm Water Utility Charge, Staff will finalize the property database, conduct a financial analysis to determine the impacts and revenue generated based on various REF values, and develop a proposed ordinance revision to allow for this proposal. Recommendation: It is recommended that the City Council direct Staff to proceed with exploring the possibility of making the City’s Storm Water Utility Charge be more just and equitable by developing and examining a methodology with which it is assigned. This methodology would be based on calculating the storm water runoff for each site and assigning a Residential Equivalent Factor (REF). Respectfully Submitted, Greg Lee, Director of Public Works