02-23-2015 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE . ORONO CTl'I'COUNCIL MEETING February 9,2015 7:00 o'clock p.m. (9. STORM WATER AND DRAINAGE TRUNK FEE REVIEW continuea� Gaffron stated the funding sources for these projects are broken down into four components: 1. The stormwater and drainage trunk fee,which the Council is discussing tonight,that is chazged to new developments. 2. The stormwater and drainage trunk fee that is charged to redevelopment or expansion. Gaffron noted the City has chosen in the past not to implement that because of the onerous aspects of it. 3. The stormwater utility fees which are collected quarterly from every property owner in the City that is part of the Stormwater Utility Program; 4. Grant monies that could be secured from various agencies. Gaffron noted the City received a grant from the Watershed District for a project on ivy Place and another grant to conduct a project off of Tonkawa Bay Road for Stubbs Bay. Gaffron stated the stormwater and drainage trunk fee established in 2002 was considered a reasonable basis for establishing a dollar figure per acre that should be collected from new developments. That figure at the time was$2,670 per acre based on all property within a development. Methods for reducing that fee were also put in place. Gaffron noted the Council had some issues at the time with charging on a per acre basis for a 5-acre lot when a 5-acre lot is the least of the City's concerns since it has a larger area that can absorb runoff. For the 5-acre zone,the City had established a reduction of up to 50 percent of the stormwater fee based on the percentage of the site that was put into drainage way buffer easements or perimeter easements where the buffer areas had to remain in a natural state. Gaffron noted that reduction only applied to the 5-acre zone and not the 2-acre zone and that it is the 2- acre properties that have brought the issue back to the forefront in the past year. Gaffron stated for the 5- acre zone,it was also established that any lot that was developed in that 5-acre zone only has to pay for five acres,and in the 2-acre zone any lot that exceeds four acres has to pay for four acres. Gaffron stated conceptually the City Ordinance also talks about potential reduction of the stormwater fee based on providing stormwater facilities that provide additional treatment benefits beyond what is required to serve that new development. The City has not formally established policies for that purpose but at least on one occasion in Stone Bay the City did give a rebate essentially for oversizing the pond along Highway 12. Gaffron stated there are a number of issues that have been identified and are as follows: 1. The lack of clarity for dealing with new development activity. 2. The City Ordinance as written requires payment of the fee for all of the acreage and there have been questions as to whether or not they should be paying for areas that are considered wetlands or areas that are stormwater ponding. 3. There are inequities in the calculation of the fee for redevelopment. The Council should review how the fee relates to hardcover levels and hardcover increases or decreases as well as the use of BMPs to minimize runoff leaving the site. Page 14 of 26