Title
Amend Stormwater Ordinance
Action
Action:
Amend Chapter 18 of the Stormwater Ordinance to exempt the City from paying a stormwater fee for public street rights-of-way.
Body
Committee Chair:
Greg Phipps
Staff Resource(s):
Kim Eagle, Management & Financial Services
Jennifer Smith, Engineering & Property Management
Explanation
* The City Ordinance exempts certain categories of property from paying a stormwater fee.
* Although state roads have been exempt from paying a fee since the program began, the City's public street rights-of-way were not exempt.
* Early in the program, the City's General Fund paid a contribution to the program in lieu of paying a fee specifically based on City street impervious area.
* The General Fund contribution rose proportionately with the percentage of annual fee increases, but did not rise to reflect increases in impervious area.
* In Fiscal Year 2007, the City Council capped future contributions from the City's General Fund to the Storm Water Enterprise Fund at the Fiscal Year 2006 level of approximately $5.7 million.
* The City's General Fund often invests in stormwater system improvements through neighborhood and transportation improvement and transit projects.
* It is uncommon for large NC cities to pay a stormwater fee based on impervious surface for public street rights-of-way. Raleigh, Durham, and Winston-Salem do not pay stormwater fees for city-maintained streets.
* The six surrounding towns in Mecklenburg County do not pay municipal stormwater fees to themselves for their own town-maintained streets.
* Charlotte and all six towns do pay County stormwater fees based on impervious surface for their public street rights-of-way.
* The amendment would allow an exemption for public rights-of-way within the City, and result in the Ordinance being consistent with the current collection practice for stormwater fees.
* The ordinance change will not affect the payment amount from the General ...
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