Subject:
Title
Legislative Intent and Permission to Advertise Increase to the Stormwater Utility Assessment Rate
End
Fiscal Impact:
FY 25/26: ~$120k mailing and staffing costs
FY 26/27: $2.4-3.4M additional recurring Stormwater Assessment revenue
Dept/Office:
County Manager's Office
Requested Action:
Recommendation
It is requested that the Board 1) Approve legislative intent, permission to advertise and public hearing to increase to the Stormwater Utility Assessment in order to increase the level of service for flood protection and water quality programs; 2) Provide staff direction regarding funding split for flood protection and water quality project types; 3) Approve notifying the public of pending rate changes; and 4) Approve all budget changes necessary to facilitate rate change.
End
Summary Explanation and Background:
The Stormwater Utility was established in 1990 and 1991 by district as a dedicated and restricted source of revenue to provide flood protection and water quality improvements, with an annual assessment of $36/Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU). The ERU was increased to $64 in 2014 and was phased in by FY16/17. To date, the program has constructed more than 650 projects by leveraging numerous State and Federal grants. However, flooding continues to be a concern in multiple areas of the County and water quality projects are still needed for the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and the St Johns River systems. Major capital investments and new technology are necessary to meet current federal and state adopted water quality mandates such as Total Maximum Daily Loads and the requirements of the North Indian River Lagoon Basin Management Action Plan (BMAP), Central Indian River Lagoon BMAP, Banana River Lagoon BMAP, and the county's National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit. Additionally, construction costs have increased significantly since 2014 but the stormwater assessment rate has remained a constant annual $64/ERU. This has...
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