Title:
Storm Water Fee - Resolution Adopting the City of Charlotte’s Minor System Rates
Summary
ACTION:
Adopt the RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING INCREASING THE MINOR SYSTEM COST COMPONENT OF THE STORM WATER SERVICE CHARGES TO BE LEVIED WITHIN THE CITY OF CHARLOTTE
Staff Contact: W. Dave Canaan, LUESA - Storm Water Services
Presentation: No
BACKGROUND/JUSTIFICATION:
In 1994, the County started charging a Storm Water fee to fund the administration of storm water management programs to improve water quality, reduce flood losses and repair/maintain the storm drainage system.
Minor System Component for the City of Charlotte: By Interlocal Agreement, the minor system of the storm water system is defined as ditches, swales, pipes, etc that drain less than 1 square mile and is the responsibility of the City inside the City limits. The revenue generated from the minor system component of the storm water fee charged within the City is returned to the City to fund their storm water management program.
On June 11th the City of Charlotte adopted a FY19 budget that sets the City’s Storm Water minor system fee based on the tiered system in the City’s jurisdiction. On June 12th the City of Charlotte notified the County to increase their minor system component as follows:
Detached Single Family Properties (per month)
- Tier I (<2,000 square feet of impervious area) from $5.52 to $5.85
- Tier II (2,000 to <3,000 square feet of impervious area) from $8.13 to $8.62
- Tier III (3,000 to <5,000 square feet of impervious area) from $12.04 to $12.76
- Tier IV (>5,000 square feet of impervious area) from $19.91 to $21.11
-
- All Other Properties (per month)
- The fee will increase from $143.73 to $152.35, per acre of impervious area
Mecklenburg County held a Public Hearing on June 5, 2018 to receive public comment on the above proposed fee increases. In Section 5 (iii) of the City of Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Storm Water Interlocal Agreement, it states:
“Following the public hearings, the Board of County Commissioners shall alter the Minor System Cost Component of the service charge to be levied within the City after it receives notification from the City Council of the desired alteration in the Minor System Cost Component.”
Based on the language contained in the Interlocal Agreement, in the event the County did not direct City Finance (the County’s Billing Agent) to modify the fees as directed by the municipality, such failure would be a breach of contract by the County.
PROCUREMENT BACKGROUND:
N/A
POLICY IMPACT:
All funds generated from the minor system component of the fee will be returned to the City of Charlotte, the jurisdictions in which the fee will be levied.
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A