Transcript

Event transcript
And partly what's going to occur here tonight. And y'all chime in if we need something different, but. 00:00:22
There were really only, I think 2 council members that were on the council at the time that the. 00:00:30
The ordinance was originally passed. 00:00:36
The stormwater, you know, utility ordinance and. 00:00:39
So I felt like. 00:00:44
Mostly important that we all kind of get up to speed on exactly what was done, where it exists, what the recommendations of the 00:00:45
task force where I see we have several members of the task force here tonight. I appreciate y'all being in attendance. 00:00:52
And you know, ultimately. 00:00:59
If this thing is going to move forward, we have to get to the point of actually setting. 00:01:01
A fee structure and. 00:01:06
Along with that, you know I have spoken. 00:01:09
Mr. Horton and Mr. Mar about. 00:01:12
Making sure that we do something that we're able to utilize those funds effectively and, and efficiently to, you know, start 00:01:16
making an impact within the community and. 00:01:21
And so determine. 00:01:27
You know, you know, we might have a pie in the sky a large number of all the capital improvement projects and. 00:01:29
And things, but there's another layer. 00:01:36
That I want to make sure the public understands to the storm water. 00:01:39
Plan and. 00:01:43
This utility. 00:01:45
Is basically just to partially fund the stormwater management plan. 00:01:46
That pre exist from originally 2008 I guess. 00:01:50
And there's a component to that. 00:01:55
That as the. 00:01:57
As the city grows and census, we're going to reach some some. 00:02:00
Some key points where all of a sudden we. 00:02:04
Fall under some environmental controls. 00:02:07
And protections that don't. 00:02:11
Currently a plaque to us that our current population. 00:02:13
And those things will be more monitoring of runoff border for. 00:02:16
Chemicals and salinity and how those things that you know affect the salt marshes and. 00:02:21
All of those kinds of things that is going to get more complex right now, you know we. 00:02:27
We talked storm water. I think most people think about the water in the ditches. 00:02:31
But this eventually is going to. 00:02:35
Carries out into a more. 00:02:38
Complex area and this will be partly the funding source that provides for that staffing to to do those that testing and those 00:02:41
kinds of things. 00:02:45
This is truly something that affects. 00:02:50
Our properties, not just whether or not your property happens to flood or not right now. 00:02:52
Your property does have water that's on it, water that's draining off of it. 00:02:57
That eventually ends up into, you know, into our rivers and streams and. 00:03:01
And will eventually be part of that issue that we're having to address, so. 00:03:07
Just laying that basic groundwork. 00:03:12
I'm all right and I make it, yeah. 00:03:14
I've been encouraged by a couple people online that y'all need. 00:03:17
Bring your mic close to your mouth. 00:03:21
And speak into the courts. 00:03:23
And. 00:03:26
Mayor and a couple others. OK, Thank you. 00:03:27
Thank you. 00:03:31
Good evening once again. 00:03:36
I feel a little nervous and not qualified to be standing here when I've got Mr. Sanders and Mr. Raleigh sitting behind me, who was 00:03:39
a part of this process from the very beginning. 00:03:44
And I want to commend them on their perseverance and their patience and. 00:03:49
And all the hard work that they put into this over the years. 00:03:54
So. 00:03:59
Umm, in an e-mail that I sent out on the 27th. 00:04:00
I sent Council the stormwater utility user fee. 00:04:05
Credit manual. 00:04:09
Just for your. 00:04:10
Homework and. 00:04:12
Absorption. 00:04:13
That was actually done. 00:04:14
Along with a whole bunch of things, including the frequently asked questions. 00:04:17
The actual ordinance itself that was passed. 00:04:22
And some just general other thing. 00:04:26
To take it from where the mayor left off, this is not just about cleaning ditches. 00:04:29
It's also our watershed plan. It's also how we're. 00:04:36
The effects that our storm water creates in our downtown and in other areas of our city. 00:04:40
Just for example, I wish Miss Shirley was here. 00:04:48
She was talking about how we we were flooding down here the other week. 00:04:52
And so I came in this morning and. 00:04:57
Yes, we had moved the water and everything is clear. 00:05:00
But when you got down to the corner and you made the corner right with the storm drain was. 00:05:03
All the leaves. 00:05:08
Falling had washed up there. There was a pile that high. 00:05:10
And that wide around that. 00:05:14
That storm water? 00:05:17
That kind of effects we're talking about, I mean in some municipalities of. 00:05:19
They've included the street sweeper as a part of the stormwater utility. 00:05:24
Because of those very reasons like that. 00:05:28
We're fortunate. 00:05:32
Miss Geraldine Ramey. 00:05:33
I say right. 00:05:37
She she is our senior planner. 00:05:42
And she comes to us from Samoa, Georgia, where she away. 00:05:45
Chenoa, Shenoy or whatever. 00:05:48
She doesn't say right anymore. 00:05:51
Well, she's Northeast Darien, so she don't talk like us anyway. 00:05:54
Sorry about that. 00:06:01
But one of her jobs at her former employment was to handle the storm water management plan. 00:06:03
So she's well versed in this and she has been kicking in and see the pants for the last week and 1/2. 00:06:10
It's been an adventure. I'm going, what did you say? She says. I'll say it slower. 00:06:16
So, but what I wanted to do for the benefit of the council, because as the mayor said, there's really just two of you that are 00:06:21
sitting up there that have. 00:06:25
Haven't really been exposed exposed to it. 00:06:30
And in no shape or form and I. 00:06:33
As schooled as the individual that presented this originally, this is the PowerPoint. 00:06:36
That was presented. I'm trying to. 00:06:42
That handout stacking handouts I gave you earlier. 00:06:44
Is I've got them in some sort of an order? 00:06:48
With intent. 00:06:51
OK, so we're going to go ahead and get started, but I wanted to run you through real briefly. 00:06:52
It's gonna be refocus. It's not gonna be the lengthy one that was originally. 00:06:58
The stormwater utility process. 00:07:03
Went through several things. 00:07:05
It was identified in the in the master plan. 00:07:08
They also identified Citizen Survey with an open house. 00:07:11
There was a white paper created and presented to Council at the time. 00:07:16
There was a public education component. 00:07:20
The storm water ordinance. 00:07:23
Credit manual. 00:07:26
Was also presented. 00:07:28
And was set to be adopted in 21 found building. That's the whole process is it was originally laid out. 00:07:29
The task force was created. 00:07:38
In April of 29 or 2019. 00:07:43
May through July, they developed a mission, vision, statement, goals and objectives. 00:07:46
And in June of 19. 00:07:51
Had public hearings, public comments presented. 00:07:54
Recommendations and results from community survey. 00:07:57
And 19 was the white paper to Council. 00:08:01
In September of 19. 00:08:04
STF develops public education program as the storm. 00:08:07
Storm water utility group. 00:08:10
Oh, they spent some serious time on that. 00:08:13
In December of 19. 00:08:17
Was the goal to get it passed? 00:08:19
Council workshops. Public education. 00:08:23
Videos were put together. 00:08:27
More public comments. 00:08:29
In September of 21. 00:08:31
They presented their recommendations. 00:08:33
Some of the recommendations. 00:08:39
Their their vision statement. I'm not going to read it to you because you have it. 00:08:42
Some of the goals that they set were to maintain the existing drainage infrastructure to maximize the use and lifespan. 00:08:48
Educate the public about stormwater issues. 00:08:55
Again, that's going back to my original comments that everybody thinks it's just concerning ditches and it's not. It's bigger than 00:08:58
that. It's a lot bigger than that. 00:09:03
And then invest in the city drainage infrastructure through. 00:09:08
Implementation of capital drainage improvements. 00:09:12
Or CIP. 00:09:15
November. 00:09:19
Oh, the white paper. 00:09:22
Again, we've discussed that. 00:09:25
Operations and maintenance of the drainage systems. 00:09:27
There's currently, there's more than that now, but at the time it was 19 miles of storm. 00:09:30
Sewer pipe and 71 miles of ditches with associated structural controls. 00:09:37
Including catch basins, inlets, cars and outfalls. 00:09:42
Recently added. 00:09:46
Dedicated drainage crew. 00:09:48
And at the time, they were recommending one more. 00:09:50
Drainage crew. 00:09:53
Was still needed. We have implemented that second clue. 00:09:54
With with your actions recently over the last six months. 00:09:58
Updated storm water master plan capital improvement plan. 00:10:04
Continued with 30% contingency from the 2008 estimate. 00:10:08
I have also included in your packet there is a. 00:10:13
Spreadsheet. 00:10:17
That came out of the. 00:10:19
Utility Master Plan where it was actually tweaked again. 00:10:22
Some of those numbers and some of the mapping, you'll see some of that. 00:10:26
In your packet. 00:10:30
Updated total CIP at the time was 7.3. 00:10:34
35 million with 52 projects. 00:10:38
Oh, this is a map. 00:10:42
This is the map that I was referring to that you have in your packet is one of the folded over big pages. 00:10:45
Yes, ma'am. It's hard to read though. 00:10:51
Be happy to. 00:10:53
It's also on our website. 00:10:55
So. 00:10:57
So can you adjust that up for me please? 00:11:01
Some of the flooding issues. 00:11:05
I remember I said it wasn't all about the pictures, it's also about how. 00:11:08
Were affected by. 00:11:11
The city our king tithes our high tides. 00:11:13
And I'm going to go ahead and say it because we are. 00:11:18
Rapidly approaching the season as in a couple of days and we've already had our first tropical depression form. 00:11:20
Is on the Pacific side of. 00:11:26
So we'll keep them all over there this year. We're hoping, praying. 00:11:29
We're not going to be able to address hurricane. 00:11:34
Flooding OK. 00:11:38
The wall of water. 00:11:40
For those of you that are new to the area, just give you some insight. 00:11:43
When you go down and look in front of the seagulls, there the last palm tree by the cannon. If you look up at the top where the. 00:11:47
From whatever you call pom poms or whatever. 00:11:55
Starts going on. There used to be a ribbon up there. That ribbon signified what the water level would be in a category 3. 00:11:58
I've written out a lot of storms here over the last 25 years. 00:12:06
Category 3. 00:12:11
You're gonna have to find me. 00:12:13
I'm just going to say it that way. 00:12:15
OK King Todd, we have seen the facts and it has affected us and that is something we can't address and actually working towards. 00:12:18
The Community rating system. 00:12:28
OK. That is the National Flood Insurance Program. 00:12:31
It's a voluntary program. 00:12:34
That the cities offer. 00:12:37
Umm, there's certain things that we do and we go through and some public information and there should be a flyer coming up very 00:12:39
soon. 00:12:43
In regards to that which is a component that we get extra points. 00:12:49
Currently, the city of Saint Mary's holds a rating SARS rating of seven. 00:12:54
Which is. 00:13:01
7 out of 10 which gives us. 00:13:03
10 to 15% discount for citizens on flood insurance. 00:13:05
OK, I'm sorry to interrupt but. 00:13:10
So this is back, this was a couple years ago, correct? Are we still correct? 00:13:12
Different now? Well, we're still in seven. 00:13:17
We're still, yeah, this was this was actually put together in 21 September 21. 00:13:20
OK, just a little sidebar, the CRS. 00:13:26
System is a part of the ISO system. 00:13:30
And all those that have been around the fire service for a long period of time and or have you paid homeowners insurance? 00:13:34
Car insurance based off your ISO rating. These are the same folks, it's just a different branch. 00:13:41
You're all CRS. 00:13:47
Stormwater external services. Who's responsible for the drainage system? This is important, folks. 00:13:52
It's hard to read here, but it is in your handout. 00:13:58
It identifies the private. 00:14:02
Parts. It identifies the public parts, IE public meaning us. 00:14:04
OK. 00:14:09
And I apologize, I'm going to a van on you. 00:14:12
The when you see the. 00:14:16
And my wife's size, that would be a. 00:14:18
Light pink. 00:14:20
Or a fuchsia that's not fuchsia. But anyway you get Peach. 00:14:23
Peach Salmon. That's a good time. 00:14:27
Those are the private areas. Those are the areas that belong to the private property owner. 00:14:31
And it's their responsibility. 00:14:37
You will notice the driveway covers is. 00:14:40
Private. 00:14:44
The blue part. 00:14:45
Are the responsibilities of the city. 00:14:47
OK, Am I reading that right? Yes. 00:14:50
OK, so. 00:14:53
That's things to remember. So they're stock in this. 00:14:55
On both sides. 00:14:59
That's a good way to say it. 00:15:01
OK. 00:15:03
Some move ahead. 00:15:07
So. 00:15:12
And 21. 00:15:13
A new dedicated Vantage crew was estimated at $190,000. 00:15:15
Purchase Contract Services was estimated at 50,000. 00:15:21
Road paving and Drainage supplies 25,000. CIP Projects This was the initial budget. CIP Projects was 300,000. 00:15:25
Is what they had figured in. 00:15:34
And the amortization cost of $25,000. 00:15:36
OK. That was in 21. 00:15:40
We'll get to the other stuff because I know what's going to be asking. Just a minute. 00:15:42
So quick overview of the functions as a user fee. 00:15:48
Based system similar to other Public Utilities, water, sewer, sanitation etc. 00:15:52
100% of the revenues to the dedicated stormwater program. 00:15:58
Assigns cost to. 00:16:03
All partials based on. 00:16:05
Impervious services, Thank you. 00:16:11
Last time we all ordered utility fee and user fee. 00:16:15
It addresses the problem. That's the short version of it. 00:16:19
Every developed. 00:16:23
Property first I said developed property. 00:16:26
Has taken a game because they're affecting it. You're putting something on the ground that's not allowing the water to get through 00:16:30
where it would normally come through. 00:16:34
Phase according to demand and service received. 00:16:40
Stable. 00:16:44
Consistent annual revenue stream that's coming in. 00:16:45
Eliminate Eliminate the need for future mileage increases for additional stormwater services. 00:16:49
Revenues can pay for bond and G for loan debt service as well as city match for grants. 00:16:56
So think about that for justice a minute. 00:17:04
Because we're going to get into the revenue stream here in a minute. 00:17:07
You're gonna look at it and go, well, how are we gonna still pay all those, those large CIP projects? 00:17:11
OK, the Georgia storm water utilities. 00:17:17
This is not something new. This is not something that has just been created. 00:17:23
It was originally created in 1998 in Griffin, GA. 00:17:28
And are currently at in 21. 00:17:32
There were 70 stormwater utilities in 21. 00:17:35
What about South Georgia? 00:17:38
Or Hinesville, Desert Green Garden City does a Valdosta states for Richmond and Brunswick. 00:17:40
Typical residential customers waiting in Georgia. 00:17:47
Is approximately $5 per. 00:17:51
Month statewide. That's residential. 00:17:54
Again, that's residential. 00:17:58
Is that still the case? It's it's still the case. 00:18:00
Robbie yes. 00:18:07
Am I? 00:18:10
Right, because I think we talked about this before this day probably. 00:18:11
Give a little bit more insight. 00:18:18
But. 00:18:21
Churches and people that doesn't pay taxes, they'll have to pay. 00:18:24
No Sir, that's actually incorrect. 00:18:29
It's not. It is. Everyone, including the city of Saint Mary's, will have to pay into. 00:18:31
Everybody. Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you said wouldn't have to hold on. 00:18:38
And that's because I got the facts of that correct. Say again. 00:18:43
Sorry, it's a fee, not a tax. Yes, it is a fee. It is model tax, that is correct. 00:18:48
OK. 00:18:54
Our attorney sent. 00:18:57
From information I don't know if y'all. 00:18:58
Rather than not but. 00:19:01
I talked with some of the folks from. 00:19:05
The city of Fort Wentworth. 00:19:07
Last two or three days. 00:19:10
Because there were lawsuits. 00:19:15
And they said that. 00:19:17
They had one lawsuit against them. 00:19:19
Of the city of Port Wentworth. 00:19:22
And they said that that was a family that sued them for everything. They had about 6 or 7 lawsuits, so. 00:19:24
Everybody. 00:19:31
Airplane. It's a. 00:19:34
It's a pretty good thing for. 00:19:36
A good call. 00:19:38
The way the way that this. 00:19:40
Program was put into place. 00:19:43
And. 00:19:45
Constructed. 00:19:46
UMM reduces our liability for issues of of that nature. 00:19:48
So that's something also kind of. 00:19:55
Be mindful of as well. 00:19:57
So thank you, Mr. Jones. 00:20:00
So everything is built off of equivalent residential unit or. 00:20:02
Uh, use. 00:20:08
One eru is considered. 00:20:10
700 square feet. 00:20:13
Of. 00:20:15
Impervious surfaces. 00:20:17
OK, So what they did? 00:20:19
Well, I better shut up. I'll get into my stuff here in a minute. 00:20:23
The single family. 00:20:27
Is 1 flat ERU, so $5.00 a month. 00:20:29
Here's what was proposed as a part of this the space structure. 00:20:34
Multifamily. 00:20:37
Which is the apartment buildings. 00:20:39
Not the duplexes, but apartment buildings. OK. 00:20:44
Just want to clarify that. 00:20:47
Commercial properties and industrial schools, churches and government. 00:20:49
They are figured. 00:20:53
Actually going in and looking with GIS determining what kind of impervious services. 00:20:55
Or own that piece of property. 00:21:02
You figure out the square footage or the acres if you will. I used acres. I had to figure it out for myself too. 00:21:05
But you figure out the square footage. 00:21:12
Then you apply the 3700 square feet. 00:21:15
Into the square feet of what they've got, and that tells you how many, uh, use. 00:21:20
Are on each property. 00:21:25
So this goes in more in detail about how it's calculated. 00:21:29
Your driveways are calculated. Your sidewalks. 00:21:33
Actual structure. 00:21:37
Is calculated on the lot. 00:21:39
So if you've got a building. 00:21:42
You must go downtown for just a minute. 00:21:45
Pardon me and you've got a lot that you've got a building because commercial properties in our historic district. 00:21:48
Go from a lot longer. 00:21:55
A lot of cities do that. 00:21:58
So that whole. 00:22:00
Property is absorbed with impervious surfaces. 00:22:02
So you're paying on square footage that the building is sitting on? 00:22:06
Everybody kind of tracking on me with me there. 00:22:10
So. 00:22:13
Apartment and parking lots and everything else, yes. 00:22:16
So. 00:22:20
Some more calculations on it. 00:22:24
They are using. 00:22:26
What is the E for us? I can't remember. 00:22:29
Non single family residence. Thank you. 00:22:33
Rather right? 00:22:37
So then if we talked about budget again and we're going to, we're going to look at some fresher numbers here in just a minute. 00:22:39
Breakdown on some of the revenue and we'll look at. 00:22:47
At some more of that in just a minute. 00:22:50
It's more of the model. 00:22:55
This is an example. 00:23:00
Of the stormwater utility rights in Georgia. 00:23:03
Statesboro figures at 395, Brunswick at 395, as per ERU. 00:23:07
Griffin. 00:23:14
65. 00:23:16
Richmond at 475. 00:23:17
470-5475. 00:23:20
$5 and 586 in Hinesville. 00:23:24
Charlie, can you slide that up a little bit more, please? 00:23:27
And then Augusta at $6.40. 00:23:30
OK. And you also notice that the ERU square footages are? 00:23:34
Are varied. How did they come up with 3700 square feet? They took an average of residents homes in the city. 00:23:39
And kind of where it fell and it was around. 00:23:46
About real, eventual. 00:23:50
Young person yet? 00:23:53
I'm getting. I'm getting there. I'm getting better. 00:23:58
Of how much? 00:24:01
Impervious services are on average on all the residential lots and that's where they came up with 37 square feet. 00:24:03
So this is kind of how the Bills would look. 00:24:12
For one for one month. 00:24:18
There is the ability to have. 00:24:24
Phone discounts. 00:24:27
On a commercial side. 00:24:30
If you have I'm using this as an example if you have a retention pond. 00:24:31
Own your property. 00:24:36
Then you have the ability to reduce how much you have to pay. 00:24:38
And that there is a process for that and that's an ordinance that you can go back and you can look at. 00:24:42
We're not talking about the ordinance we're talking about, right? 00:24:48
There's there's other things that you can do which are also in the ordinance to help. 00:24:52
Reduce what you end up paying. 00:24:57
And if you'll remember, I'm going to back up just a minute. And if you'll also remember, we're in the process with a a growth 00:25:02
bone. 00:25:05
OK. And we're already working with new. 00:25:09
Construction. 00:25:12
At commercial that they provide some means of retention, some means of handling their storm water. 00:25:14
So they're going to see some of the benefits from. 00:25:23
OK, just keep that in your mind. 00:25:26
Robin let me before I think because I don't think we come back to it again here. 00:25:28
I want to dress a little bit more about the ER you just so there's, there's some clarity. 00:25:34
You know, so my understanding the process of the random sampling of residential properties and and 3700 was the average. 00:25:39
Impervious service you know per residential lot and. 00:25:47
And so that there will be a flat fee. 00:25:51
For all residential single family residences. 00:25:54
Regardless of the actual impervious service. 00:25:57
On that property I mean. 00:26:02
You might have a house somewhere that has. 00:26:04
A 1600 square foot, you know, house roof. 00:26:07
There's no dirt driveway, so no impervious surface there. 00:26:10
But that. 00:26:15
Single family residents would still be taxed at one full. 00:26:16
Not taxed. This would be charged as a fee. 00:26:20
One Eru or the 3700 foot. 00:26:23
You know, standard of a single family residence. 00:26:27
So every single family residence regardless kind of their. 00:26:31
Square footage of impervious service. 00:26:35
Be charged at 1:00. 00:26:38
ERU rate that flat rate. 00:26:39
And then when you get into non single family. 00:26:42
Multifamily, commercial, those other types of properties than the actual calculations would be done. 00:26:45
And of course, you know, part of that I assume is that. 00:26:50
The burden of having to calculate every additional property and then every time any change is made to that property. 00:26:54
Additional accessory structures are built or any kind of thing the city would constantly be having to. 00:27:01
Monitor every residential property in town and so that I'm assuming as the result. 00:27:07
And from what I understand that this is this process has been legally upheld by the. 00:27:13
Georgia Supreme Court to be handled in that way and so. 00:27:18
But, you know, I know that there will be folks out there saying that, well, you know, I don't have, my house is not that big and I 00:27:22
don't have a paved driveway. 00:27:26
Yes, I just wanted to clarify that that was the situation. 00:27:30
Based on the average of single family residences so. 00:27:34
Is that clear? Anybody from task force? 00:27:39
Anything that. 00:27:41
Said a lot better than I did. 00:27:44
A lot more better. 00:27:47
So there's some other credits that are available. 00:27:54
And it's it's all there in ordinance. 00:27:56
This tells you how it was calculated. Goes into all that. 00:28:07
This is what the utility ordinance covered. 00:28:15
This is the highlights of it establishment of the. 00:28:19
Storm wired to utility service area, the scope of responsibility, customer classes. 00:28:22
Umm, user fee charged the billing rates, the user fee credits, the billing delinquencies. 00:28:29
Collections and adjustments, appeals and hearings. There is the opportunity for appeals. 00:28:35
OK, so. 00:28:41
We have adopted the ordinance, but we have never adopted the credit me. 00:28:45
But we still have the credit applications, the building database completion and upload. 00:28:51
Adopt budget for 22 and set rate. 00:28:56
Customer notification, first storm water, utility bill and cycle. 00:29:00
Umm, I don't know Council's desire, but I wanted to make you aware of it. 00:29:06
In the original contract with GMC, Who? 00:29:12
Was the. 00:29:15
That design. 00:29:18
Advisors, we still have some. 00:29:20
We haven't paid for it, but we still have a contract out there with money still left to help with the initiation of the program. 00:29:23
But that's going to cost us. 00:29:31
Some money, and I don't know exactly what those numbers are at this time. 00:29:34
So I just follow that away. 00:29:40
A lot of public education has occurred. There is there is information out there. 00:29:44
And Miss Courtney Wright was the lady that. 00:29:50
Did that? Excuse me half a second. 00:29:54
She's not there anymore. 00:29:59
And I guess I should have made the letters a little bit bigger. 00:30:23
We have provided this for you also in your packet. 00:30:27
Mayor and council, these are some updated numbers. These are this is the anticipated revenue. 00:30:30
If we were to look at the one aru equaling the $5 that we had discussed. 00:30:37
We talk about the current residential. 00:30:45
7000. 00:30:49
594. 00:30:52
Residential units in the city right now. 00:30:55
Umm, at. 00:30:58
Annual cost of $60.00 a piece. 00:31:01
5 * 12 is 60 I had to get. 00:31:04
Be reminded of that math. 00:31:07
Sorry. 00:31:09
Total revenues from residential. 00:31:13
Is anticipated at $455,640. 00:31:16
Umm, we have in. In that packet that I gave you there is a. 00:31:21
A 11. 00:31:28
8 by 14 it's a little bit bigger paper. 00:31:31
They provided roughly 80. 00:31:35
Commercial properties. Some of the names have changed, but the properties are still there. 00:31:38
It gives you an idea. We've used those numbers. 00:31:43
At a minimum, OK. 00:31:47
And that's where you see the commercial monthly. 00:31:49
That's the number. 00:31:54
I'm sorry. 00:31:56
Feed that you're showing us. 00:31:59
On this, yes. 00:32:02
Yes, but we calculated it out. 00:32:04
Well, that's monthly too, yeah. 00:32:08
But then you say the Daniel revenue? 00:32:10
Being around 262,410. 00:32:13
Now you notice that number doesn't change. That was just to kind of get us a bare metal of. 00:32:16
Kind of understanding what we've got coming in. 00:32:22
OK. So in the first year, if we were to implement this year? 00:32:25
With the one ARU at $5. 00:32:33
You're looking at 700. 00:32:36
And 18. 00:32:38
$718,050 and 50%. 00:32:40
At a bare metal. 00:32:45
To granted, there's more commercial property out there that they will have to go through and calculate them out. 00:32:46
Come up with the are use for those. 00:32:53
And go so. 00:32:55
That's what the revenue picture or estimation, if you will. 00:32:58
Kind of looks like. 00:33:02
The expense side? 00:33:04
Salary and wages and benefits and we've also provided council with a a budget. 00:33:07
That you're more accustomed to, especially after tonight because you looked at the same ones. 00:33:14
Tonight when you looked at the budget. 00:33:18
But we roughly estimate that the. 00:33:20
Initial year being 200, I mean being 1,192,000. 00:33:23
734. 00:33:30
Now that is also taking several some of the a lot of the stuff that we've approved as part of the existing budget. 00:33:32
Not approved. 00:33:39
That we want to approve in our next meeting. 00:33:41
The ditch crew. 00:33:44
The auger, the other stuff. 00:33:45
Like that and we've moved it over there. 00:33:49
From that. 00:33:51
OK. 00:33:52
Already existed. 00:33:56
It's it's in the proposed budget. Yes, ma'am. There's nothing added to it that. 00:33:58
Quite effective when you say, well we took stuff out of. 00:34:03
Out of it, but. 00:34:06
Anyway, you kind of get the idea. 00:34:08
So again. 00:34:10
That's pulling from. 00:34:12
The proposed 26 budget. 00:34:14
To create the budget for the storm water utility. 00:34:17
OK, questions. 00:34:21
So I guess one of the things I wanted to point out there was a slide. 00:34:25
Don't think we spent much time on it that talked about. 00:34:28
Revenue sources for. 00:34:34
Storm water management plans. 00:34:36
The two primary. 00:34:39
On that side, the two primary sources are Word General Fund. 00:34:41
As well as stormwater utility. 00:34:45
With some of the secondary options being. 00:34:48
Things such as SPLOST, impact feeds, aid to construction grants. 00:34:51
Other other types of things like that. 00:34:56
Will be clear that. 00:35:00
That the storm water utility is not necessarily. 00:35:02
Going to, in and of itself fund everything that needs to be funded for Storm and. 00:35:05
Because I know somebody's gonna pick up on what I just said. 00:35:10
The G phones, a lot of them are. 00:35:14
Principle Forgiveness. 00:35:18
The third person. 00:35:19
OK. So it's kind of like low, I mean kind of like a grant. So just I don't want anybody hit the Oh my God, you're going to get 00:35:21
more loans. 00:35:25
Or not so. 00:35:30
Just I want to throw that out very well. 00:35:31
The recommendation? 00:35:35
Umm is to use. 00:35:37
That CIP money to make it go as far as we possibly can. I tagged some of these infrastructure grants that we're seeing and things 00:35:41
of that nature. 00:35:45
To move ahead, which is going to spawn another conversation that we collectively as a body need to have. 00:35:50
Is the. 00:35:57
A clear direction or where your priorities are in the grant world. 00:35:59
OK, so we do need to have those conversations. 00:36:04
So we'll just go through that part out there. I'm sorry. 00:36:08
Well. 00:36:11
Yeah, Robbie, thank you for. 00:36:15
Explaining and bringing everybody up to. 00:36:19
Speed and. 00:36:22
We have a former Councilman that knows that we've been. 00:36:25
Kicking this can down the road for a long time. 00:36:29
It's about time that we. 00:36:33
Get serious about this because it's. 00:36:35
We're gonna have to do it. 00:36:38
Only way we're going to be able to do it is to get started so. 00:36:42
Let's keep that in mind. 00:36:46
Yeah. And one of the ongoing conversation like I said that. 00:36:49
That we've had is is making sure that. 00:36:53
We're prepared as a city to. 00:36:58
Move forward and utilize these funds, you know, in an effective manner. 00:37:01
We have a CIP plan with projected costs. 00:37:06
But realizing that we don't actually have engineering or design. 00:37:10
You know, done on. 00:37:15
A lot of those projects, so you know, if we were to start collecting money tomorrow and. 00:37:16
You know, wanted to address, you know, we identified OK, these are our top, you know, 5 or 6 priority projects. 00:37:23
You know, we're not going to be able to, you know, next Monday start. 00:37:28
Digging, you know. 00:37:32
Because we're going to have to go, there are going to be some upfront design engineering expenses that have to occur. There may 00:37:34
be. 00:37:37
Wetland mitigation situations, DNR approvals for certain things that are that are in. 00:37:41
Wetland or marsh areas that you know, drainage. 00:37:47
Outfall areas that are going into, you know. 00:37:50
Protected areas like that that. 00:37:53
We'll take some back and forth with, you know, the appropriate agencies in order to actually get green lights to. 00:37:55
To put shovels in the ground. 00:38:03
But given that, you know, I still want to make sure that we're. 00:38:06
Geared up and able to move forward as quickly as possible and that's what I've been talking to. 00:38:12
The staff about, you know, Bob, Robbie and Bobby, you know, definitely know we've had those conversations so. 00:38:17
You know, but tonight I felt like it was really important, like I said, for us to kind of get this groundwork. Everybody refresh 00:38:24
their memory. 00:38:28
Where we are and why you know and we have this list of projects, some of the. 00:38:31
Projects from that original, but this one has been updated. 00:38:36
The CIP plan in in 2019, but even. 00:38:39
Even it, you know, has some things that have been accomplished. 00:38:42
I'm not sure where it's at on here, but the. 00:38:47
Over on. 00:38:51
Mission Trace is that. 00:38:54
You know, you know, we got some of those things out forbid and out for. 00:38:56
Construction right now to those culverts and those types of things that would have certainly been. 00:39:00
A part of this plan. So things are getting done. 00:39:04
But we're moving rather slowly because we don't have, you know. 00:39:08
The appropriate funding and, uh. 00:39:12
This this is. 00:39:16
The mechanism that seems to be most popular across the state. 00:39:19
Most proven method for. 00:39:23
Having something that's associated directly with, you know. 00:39:26
At least part of the. 00:39:30
The benefit? The amount of runoff that's being created by properties. 00:39:31
As a way to administer something that. 00:39:36
That everyone can see benefit from. You know there'll be benefit on city streets. 00:39:39
From flooding, you know, just in your general travel and those kinds of things as culverts and those kinds of things are. 00:39:45
Are looked at and obviously downtown. 00:39:51
Where we have. 00:39:53
Heavy tree canopy, heavy tree coverage. 00:39:55
Leaves and Moss and those kinds of things are. 00:39:57
Are constant, you know, issues that. 00:40:01
You know, like I said, a street sweeper. 00:40:05
I know we've got one of those in the budget already, so. 00:40:07
You know, but. 00:40:10
You know those are. 00:40:12
You know, things that will. 00:40:13
We go a long way to keeping the culverts clean and the water moving. 00:40:15
We have some problem areas in this town. 00:40:20
Because. 00:40:22
This was essentially a swamp 250 years ago. A lot of it. And we still got a lot of it. It is. 00:40:23
Swamp, our beloved spine area is very self-evident but. 00:40:30
After this rainstorm Sunday night, riding around, you know. 00:40:35
Their heirs with standing order and some of it intruding on some houses that. 00:40:39
You know, in hindsight, you know, should have been built up, you know, 5 or 6 inches higher, you know, but they weren't, you know, 00:40:44
and. 00:40:48
We can't. 00:40:53
We're not going to be able to address all those kinds of things because water has to go somewhere and when it's a. 00:40:54
When it's a full moon, high tide, king tide, and where there's storm water back up. 00:40:58
Because this house was. 00:41:05
75 yards from the marsh, you know, you know. 00:41:07
But if it's high tide? 00:41:10
The water is not draining into the marsh. It's coming from the marsh, you know, as as well as the the rain water so. 00:41:12
It's not the cure all to end all to every issue, to every individual's issue. 00:41:19
But it's a larger master plan plan problem. You know, it's a, it's a need for the entire. 00:41:24
Community, uh. 00:41:30
And as already says. 00:41:31
This cans got kicked to us now. 00:41:33
And uh. 00:41:36
You know, I think we. 00:41:37
We got the. 00:41:40
The political will here to try to do something. 00:41:41
To address this problem that so many people have been. 00:41:45
You know, speaking to us about over the last five or six months, so. 00:41:48
What was the? 00:41:53
We did a drainage study out of Crooked River. I think that was the one we you have a presentation on Monday night, not not Monday 00:41:55
night up. 00:41:59
No, it is Monday night. 00:42:03
Monday night, you take it. You'll have a presentation on from there. 00:42:05
So I wanted to thank you for this. I think this was great. One of my concerns was and that's why I brought up. 00:42:09
Having that D be lower, but it's actually a lot less of an impact than I thought on churches and commercial space and stuff. 00:42:15
So. 00:42:23
I mean, I, I think this was very eye opening to me. I appreciate that presentation and this kind of helps me give an overview of 00:42:25
everything. 00:42:28
I agree. I'm I'm looking forward to going going forward and just like. 00:42:32
Mr. Jones just said just get this ball rolling. 00:42:36
Have we taken a look at, you know, like I know part of the initial plan was before we got a second ditch crew or before we got. 00:42:39
You know, we have more now, the different landscape. 00:42:47
Have we identified like which say public works budget employees would fall under the stormwater utility enterprise that's figuring 00:42:49
there's? 00:42:53
You've got the one ditch crew is what we're allocating into that budget. 00:42:58
There's also portions of other. 00:43:03
Like if you're saying I'm not saying this is what's going to happen, but if. 00:43:06
With Remy's position is if she takes on that role. 00:43:11
And she's under Community Development World. 00:43:16
So part of her shower would also come out of that as well. 00:43:19
Some of boggies would, some of. 00:43:22
Alex would. 00:43:25
So there will be some additional staff in there that would be a part of them and say we already have a street sweeper, we've 00:43:26
already budgeted for it and purchased it. But with that move over to the storm water utility fund for maintenance of those items 00:43:30
are different it came in. 00:43:35
It can where the building do that but. 00:43:40
That's not what we were calculating. We. 00:43:42
Our main focus on what we put. 00:43:45
In front of you tonight. 00:43:48
On that ditch curve. 00:43:50
So that was, you know, and that's taking. 00:43:52
Like you don't say a cost for vehicle. 00:43:54
I think there's a dump truck in there. 00:43:57
I'll tell you one dog truck. 00:44:00
That. 00:44:03
That, that top rate, that discrete is what we were focusing on out of the gate. 00:44:04
But that freezes up down the road. 00:44:10
If that makes any sense. I'm just trying to think about how it affects our budget and how it could affect and the mileage rate or 00:44:12
the total amount where if we have this fund over here you figure you're taking. 00:44:16
Up to 1,000,000 you're taking me. 00:44:22
So that's. 00:44:25
And that's equivalent of the mill. 00:44:27
So it could it could have an effect. 00:44:30
But it. 00:44:33
You know, in semester all these point, I'm sorry. 00:44:35
Because if I don't say it, he's going to. 00:44:39
It also protects that crew to where if we do have something come down the pipeline and we do have to make cuts again like we did 00:44:42
in 2010. 00:44:46
That ditch crew is protected. 00:44:51
Because they are in that, you know, they're compensated out of that debt. 00:44:53
Utility. 00:44:57
Yeah, it does. And I know that it wouldn't be a full rollback of your total fund for your mileage rate because you're adding 00:45:00
additional service and you're raising money for different capital improvements in storm water. So it wouldn't be 100% reduction 00:45:05
from the. 00:45:09
Budget, right? 00:45:14
What Enterprise Point creates right? 00:45:15
Mr. Horton, I have a question. How are we priority? 00:45:18
Prioritizing. 00:45:22
Our capital projects in the plan. 00:45:24
You've given us a list, I think, that shows. 00:45:28
$7.4 million. 00:45:32
And then there's another schedule here. 00:45:35
I mean, this work was done a while back, so are we the one that you have? 00:45:39
222 or 23? 00:45:51
Yes. 00:45:54
That was, it was recently done and also recently yesterday was so that's 1.5 million. 00:45:56
I'm sorry, at 1.9. 00:46:06
Million for 20/19. 00:46:10
Sorry, OK. 00:46:22
This yes. 00:46:23
I'm just wondering how we're prioritizing all the many things that were identified. 00:46:29
And the study? 00:46:35
And how we arrived at the 219,000. 00:46:37
The ones that we that we put into that budget. 00:46:43
Correct. We pulled that because that's what we currently have going for this year, which is. 00:46:46
I think some of the engineer. 00:46:53
I'm drunk and altered. 00:46:55
Yeah, Champagne was dump truck and all. 00:46:58
For those in the audience that are. 00:47:01
Online, that didn't hear what Mr. Moore said. 00:47:03
You've come up here. 00:47:06
But there there is in the actual plan, a prioritization of these projects. 00:47:09
That were done as part of the study from was that ATM or whoever right. So are we still using that? 00:47:16
Prioritization. 00:47:25
Or are we planning to go back unless we have something that comes in that's going to take a higher priority? 00:47:27
You know that we have things that come up that. 00:47:35
I mean, like I said, if if. 00:47:38
If those. 00:47:42
Items have not been addressed and they're still issues. You know, like I think like Robbie said I would be, my preference would be 00:47:43
to. 00:47:46
Utilize what funds we have available to actually making these repairs versus going back and spending money trying to figure out. 00:47:51
Should we? Should we start here? Should we really do? 00:47:59
I'd rather be getting some things done and spending more money on studies. 00:48:02
To see if they're agreed to spend some money so. 00:48:05
You know, I think you know, we get, we get started on a list of things we have and. 00:48:11
And we start tearing that down some. Then we, you know, we. 00:48:15
We can study it again. 00:48:18
Yeah, I'm not suggesting we study it again. I just. 00:48:19
Wanted to make while we're still. 00:48:26
There was some suggestions made by citizens about. 00:48:30
Other mechanisms and other modalities. 00:48:35
On how to, you know, assess the. 00:48:38
Uh, you know, one in one in particular. 00:48:42
Which was a very straightforward. 00:48:44
Process of. 00:48:46
A percentage of property tax or something? 00:48:48
You know we have learned. You know that if it. 00:48:52
If it is based. 00:48:55
Not the impact of storm water on the property as impervious services of the surfaces are. 00:48:57
Or such, but rather just a property tax type thing. 00:49:04
That it that it does then become a tax. 00:49:08
Because it's based on an ad valorem situation and not a fee. 00:49:11
And you know, one of the ongoing issues and the way this policy was crafted. 00:49:15
I think several of us have had conversations with Mr. Blackby, as well as the very nice document that he. 00:49:20
Forwarded to us. 00:49:27
That this policy was crafted, you know, to avoid. 00:49:29
Some of the litigation that has has occurred across the state in the way these things are administered and and and funded. 00:49:34
And that this fee based process based on the impervious surface. 00:49:41
Percentages. 00:49:46
Has been up, like I said, upheld by the Supreme Court based off a case through the Athens area, Athens, Clark County area, so. 00:49:47
Umm, you know, while it may have some. 00:49:56
Thoughts or things you know? This seems to be the proven. 00:49:58
Proven modality of Beth. 00:50:02
Best course of action to stick to this. 00:50:04
We even talked about. 00:50:06
Alterations in the funding schedules and those kinds of things, and it was advised that the best thing to do is. 00:50:09
It's just to stick to it very basically as it's proposed. 00:50:15
There are a number of. 00:50:18
Credits and the credit manual and the different ways to mediate things, you know, catch basins and and. 00:50:21
Converting areas you know back to natural and and. 00:50:27
You know, installing impervious, you know, driveways and those kinds of things versus, you know. 00:50:31
That might potentially. 00:50:36
Have an impact on new development in particular, but. 00:50:38
So I just wanted to say that for the benefit of those that had proposed some other mechanisms. 00:50:42
For funding that. 00:50:47
The reason we're sticking with this is. 00:50:49
Is. 00:50:52
Is that legal? Legal issue? 00:50:53
This is the. 00:50:55
The prudent Safeway to go for the city so. 00:50:57
Again, Greg. 00:51:03
Hit the nail on the head. They're all kind of funding mechanisms out there. 00:51:06
Mr. Seals with his tennis courts and things you know he's going to. 00:51:12
He's going to get off like a fat rat because it's like having two or three homes. 00:51:15
Where he is. 00:51:21
But what we need to to do? 00:51:23
Today. Tonight. 00:51:26
Is uh. 00:51:27
Let the staff know that we want to. 00:51:29
We want to. 00:51:32
Pursue this and we want to start now. 00:51:33
And do everything we need to do to get this. 00:51:36
On the road because I'm. 00:51:39
Ever since 2019, it's been going on. 00:51:42
I'm tired of kicking the can. We need to get it done. 00:51:46
I do agree I want to further pursue the avenue, but I'm definitely not ready to make a decision. I mean you were on count for you 00:51:50
know, for the time frame when it was worked on and it looks like a little over 4 years of work was done probably longer than that 00:51:54
of. 00:51:57
Research and that and it's here. This is our first session of getting all this information at one time. 00:52:01
Umm. So I do think we could actually. 00:52:06
I would like to have another work session on after we have a chance to ask them questions, get some benefits staff and have 00:52:08
another discussion. You can and that's what I'm saying that's continue. Let's continue working on it, yes. 00:52:14
Let's don't drop it here in next year, this time here. 00:52:20
Right back where we are here. I agree. I think within, you know, within. 00:52:24
Two months or so, we ought to be more than adequately prepared and. 00:52:29
Have the knowledge. 00:52:34
That we need in front of us to. 00:52:35
Like that I want I want to set that. 00:52:38
That fee level, I mean $5 was what was recommended back, you know, five years ago, you know, is that the number we still need to 00:52:40
be at, you know, and does is that provide the correct funding and. 00:52:46
We just need to get to that. 00:52:54
That determination as soon as we can and. 00:52:56
And then we'll be ready to put this before council and and. 00:52:59
And move forward. 00:53:03
Could we could we schedule a work session? 00:53:04
Yeah, you know. 00:53:07
Just another one. 00:53:09
Let's let Robbie and Bobby get together and see what it's going to take. 00:53:11
To kind of prepare that. 00:53:15
That budget those numbers and do the crunch the math and then. 00:53:17
They can get back with us here within the maybe within the next month. 00:53:21
A work session. 00:53:25
Yeah, and you know, just a small thing, not a large thing like to consider. So, umm. 00:53:27
You know, with the credits that you give and then just the way we have to charge, they're like. 00:53:32
A developer you know we're now. 00:53:37
You know, want to require developers to have like, you know, parks and things like that. If that creates an impervious service or 00:53:39
a surface like their pavement or anything for a playground, anything with, you know, like. 00:53:44
I know that wasn't considered. 00:53:50
In 21 but you know like a credit for. 00:53:52
Where they don't have to be penalized for creating a park that we require them to have, but if they want to have a little late. 00:53:55
That would help them. 00:54:01
And honestly, I think with the. 00:54:05
The a lot of the development that we're seeing. 00:54:10
Now, granted, a single house, that's the different story, but we start talking about getting outside of that where we have to pay 00:54:13
attention to the larger scale. 00:54:17
I think with the staff that we've got and we've done a good job over the last. 00:54:22
6-7 years. 00:54:28
Of staying on top of that. 00:54:30
You know, with people on that. 00:54:33
And several of the developers I've had personal contact with. 00:54:36
That's part of the discussion we had. 00:54:39
It's like, no, we don't charge for it yet. 00:54:41
But you've got to understand it may be coming, so you need to be thinking about that along the way. 00:54:44
So they've gone and taken extra steps. I mean, that's the reason the Park Service and. 00:54:49
In the new parking lot, that's the reason they're going to. 00:54:55
For your services, you know, we had that conversation with him saying look you. 00:54:59
Yeah, everybody likes blacktop. Not, but that's a joke. 00:55:04
So, but think about that going into it. And that was one of the reasons they went the direction they went. 00:55:09
So we've been having these conversations for quite some time with our developers, making them aware of it so. 00:55:14
I think that we're going to see and especially how. 00:55:21
The Stone has done it, and her staff. 00:55:25
You know, walking with the developers and going. 00:55:27
You know. 00:55:30
Yes, you can call it a retention pond. 00:55:32
But OK, you sell it as a lake. 00:55:35
You know what I mean? 00:55:38
And so she's been working very diligently at helping them craft the image and appropriate words for. 00:55:39
What we consider is storm or runoff. 00:55:47
We have a relatively new. 00:55:51
Administration within the school system, certainly since this was initially passed and. 00:55:53
I know there's some things in there about education and the schools being able to. 00:55:59
Get some credit for teaching educational classes and things on storm water and, and, and some education credits. I thought I saw 00:56:05
something in the ordinance when I read through that credit. I'll have to dig back into it. When you dig back in that way, you 00:56:10
certainly need to make sure that the school system is is aware. 00:56:16
How this might impact? 00:56:22
Impact them and their budget with the schools and. 00:56:24
You know, they certainly have a very large roof areas and parking lots and. 00:56:28
But I thought there was something in there about education credits or whatever for. 00:56:33
Doing educational work in in stormwater and you know. 00:56:39
So I'll go back and look at. 00:56:43
Don't remember any of that. 00:56:46
Maybe I just made it up. Sounded good. No, but I'm pretty sure. 00:56:50
Very impressed, yeah. 00:56:55
Maybe it was in some of the other documents from the storm water plan guide that we had that that was done in other areas or 00:56:59
something. 00:57:02
I know I read it. 00:57:05
So. 00:57:07
OK. 00:57:11
Anything else anyone wants to add? 00:57:14
We adjourned. 00:57:20
* use Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) to search in document

Transcript

Event transcript
And partly what's going to occur here tonight. And y'all chime in if we need something different, but. 00:00:22
There were really only, I think 2 council members that were on the council at the time that the. 00:00:30
The ordinance was originally passed. 00:00:36
The stormwater, you know, utility ordinance and. 00:00:39
So I felt like. 00:00:44
Mostly important that we all kind of get up to speed on exactly what was done, where it exists, what the recommendations of the 00:00:45
task force where I see we have several members of the task force here tonight. I appreciate y'all being in attendance. 00:00:52
And you know, ultimately. 00:00:59
If this thing is going to move forward, we have to get to the point of actually setting. 00:01:01
A fee structure and. 00:01:06
Along with that, you know I have spoken. 00:01:09
Mr. Horton and Mr. Mar about. 00:01:12
Making sure that we do something that we're able to utilize those funds effectively and, and efficiently to, you know, start 00:01:16
making an impact within the community and. 00:01:21
And so determine. 00:01:27
You know, you know, we might have a pie in the sky a large number of all the capital improvement projects and. 00:01:29
And things, but there's another layer. 00:01:36
That I want to make sure the public understands to the storm water. 00:01:39
Plan and. 00:01:43
This utility. 00:01:45
Is basically just to partially fund the stormwater management plan. 00:01:46
That pre exist from originally 2008 I guess. 00:01:50
And there's a component to that. 00:01:55
That as the. 00:01:57
As the city grows and census, we're going to reach some some. 00:02:00
Some key points where all of a sudden we. 00:02:04
Fall under some environmental controls. 00:02:07
And protections that don't. 00:02:11
Currently a plaque to us that our current population. 00:02:13
And those things will be more monitoring of runoff border for. 00:02:16
Chemicals and salinity and how those things that you know affect the salt marshes and. 00:02:21
All of those kinds of things that is going to get more complex right now, you know we. 00:02:27
We talked storm water. I think most people think about the water in the ditches. 00:02:31
But this eventually is going to. 00:02:35
Carries out into a more. 00:02:38
Complex area and this will be partly the funding source that provides for that staffing to to do those that testing and those 00:02:41
kinds of things. 00:02:45
This is truly something that affects. 00:02:50
Our properties, not just whether or not your property happens to flood or not right now. 00:02:52
Your property does have water that's on it, water that's draining off of it. 00:02:57
That eventually ends up into, you know, into our rivers and streams and. 00:03:01
And will eventually be part of that issue that we're having to address, so. 00:03:07
Just laying that basic groundwork. 00:03:12
I'm all right and I make it, yeah. 00:03:14
I've been encouraged by a couple people online that y'all need. 00:03:17
Bring your mic close to your mouth. 00:03:21
And speak into the courts. 00:03:23
And. 00:03:26
Mayor and a couple others. OK, Thank you. 00:03:27
Thank you. 00:03:31
Good evening once again. 00:03:36
I feel a little nervous and not qualified to be standing here when I've got Mr. Sanders and Mr. Raleigh sitting behind me, who was 00:03:39
a part of this process from the very beginning. 00:03:44
And I want to commend them on their perseverance and their patience and. 00:03:49
And all the hard work that they put into this over the years. 00:03:54
So. 00:03:59
Umm, in an e-mail that I sent out on the 27th. 00:04:00
I sent Council the stormwater utility user fee. 00:04:05
Credit manual. 00:04:09
Just for your. 00:04:10
Homework and. 00:04:12
Absorption. 00:04:13
That was actually done. 00:04:14
Along with a whole bunch of things, including the frequently asked questions. 00:04:17
The actual ordinance itself that was passed. 00:04:22
And some just general other thing. 00:04:26
To take it from where the mayor left off, this is not just about cleaning ditches. 00:04:29
It's also our watershed plan. It's also how we're. 00:04:36
The effects that our storm water creates in our downtown and in other areas of our city. 00:04:40
Just for example, I wish Miss Shirley was here. 00:04:48
She was talking about how we we were flooding down here the other week. 00:04:52
And so I came in this morning and. 00:04:57
Yes, we had moved the water and everything is clear. 00:05:00
But when you got down to the corner and you made the corner right with the storm drain was. 00:05:03
All the leaves. 00:05:08
Falling had washed up there. There was a pile that high. 00:05:10
And that wide around that. 00:05:14
That storm water? 00:05:17
That kind of effects we're talking about, I mean in some municipalities of. 00:05:19
They've included the street sweeper as a part of the stormwater utility. 00:05:24
Because of those very reasons like that. 00:05:28
We're fortunate. 00:05:32
Miss Geraldine Ramey. 00:05:33
I say right. 00:05:37
She she is our senior planner. 00:05:42
And she comes to us from Samoa, Georgia, where she away. 00:05:45
Chenoa, Shenoy or whatever. 00:05:48
She doesn't say right anymore. 00:05:51
Well, she's Northeast Darien, so she don't talk like us anyway. 00:05:54
Sorry about that. 00:06:01
But one of her jobs at her former employment was to handle the storm water management plan. 00:06:03
So she's well versed in this and she has been kicking in and see the pants for the last week and 1/2. 00:06:10
It's been an adventure. I'm going, what did you say? She says. I'll say it slower. 00:06:16
So, but what I wanted to do for the benefit of the council, because as the mayor said, there's really just two of you that are 00:06:21
sitting up there that have. 00:06:25
Haven't really been exposed exposed to it. 00:06:30
And in no shape or form and I. 00:06:33
As schooled as the individual that presented this originally, this is the PowerPoint. 00:06:36
That was presented. I'm trying to. 00:06:42
That handout stacking handouts I gave you earlier. 00:06:44
Is I've got them in some sort of an order? 00:06:48
With intent. 00:06:51
OK, so we're going to go ahead and get started, but I wanted to run you through real briefly. 00:06:52
It's gonna be refocus. It's not gonna be the lengthy one that was originally. 00:06:58
The stormwater utility process. 00:07:03
Went through several things. 00:07:05
It was identified in the in the master plan. 00:07:08
They also identified Citizen Survey with an open house. 00:07:11
There was a white paper created and presented to Council at the time. 00:07:16
There was a public education component. 00:07:20
The storm water ordinance. 00:07:23
Credit manual. 00:07:26
Was also presented. 00:07:28
And was set to be adopted in 21 found building. That's the whole process is it was originally laid out. 00:07:29
The task force was created. 00:07:38
In April of 29 or 2019. 00:07:43
May through July, they developed a mission, vision, statement, goals and objectives. 00:07:46
And in June of 19. 00:07:51
Had public hearings, public comments presented. 00:07:54
Recommendations and results from community survey. 00:07:57
And 19 was the white paper to Council. 00:08:01
In September of 19. 00:08:04
STF develops public education program as the storm. 00:08:07
Storm water utility group. 00:08:10
Oh, they spent some serious time on that. 00:08:13
In December of 19. 00:08:17
Was the goal to get it passed? 00:08:19
Council workshops. Public education. 00:08:23
Videos were put together. 00:08:27
More public comments. 00:08:29
In September of 21. 00:08:31
They presented their recommendations. 00:08:33
Some of the recommendations. 00:08:39
Their their vision statement. I'm not going to read it to you because you have it. 00:08:42
Some of the goals that they set were to maintain the existing drainage infrastructure to maximize the use and lifespan. 00:08:48
Educate the public about stormwater issues. 00:08:55
Again, that's going back to my original comments that everybody thinks it's just concerning ditches and it's not. It's bigger than 00:08:58
that. It's a lot bigger than that. 00:09:03
And then invest in the city drainage infrastructure through. 00:09:08
Implementation of capital drainage improvements. 00:09:12
Or CIP. 00:09:15
November. 00:09:19
Oh, the white paper. 00:09:22
Again, we've discussed that. 00:09:25
Operations and maintenance of the drainage systems. 00:09:27
There's currently, there's more than that now, but at the time it was 19 miles of storm. 00:09:30
Sewer pipe and 71 miles of ditches with associated structural controls. 00:09:37
Including catch basins, inlets, cars and outfalls. 00:09:42
Recently added. 00:09:46
Dedicated drainage crew. 00:09:48
And at the time, they were recommending one more. 00:09:50
Drainage crew. 00:09:53
Was still needed. We have implemented that second clue. 00:09:54
With with your actions recently over the last six months. 00:09:58
Updated storm water master plan capital improvement plan. 00:10:04
Continued with 30% contingency from the 2008 estimate. 00:10:08
I have also included in your packet there is a. 00:10:13
Spreadsheet. 00:10:17
That came out of the. 00:10:19
Utility Master Plan where it was actually tweaked again. 00:10:22
Some of those numbers and some of the mapping, you'll see some of that. 00:10:26
In your packet. 00:10:30
Updated total CIP at the time was 7.3. 00:10:34
35 million with 52 projects. 00:10:38
Oh, this is a map. 00:10:42
This is the map that I was referring to that you have in your packet is one of the folded over big pages. 00:10:45
Yes, ma'am. It's hard to read though. 00:10:51
Be happy to. 00:10:53
It's also on our website. 00:10:55
So. 00:10:57
So can you adjust that up for me please? 00:11:01
Some of the flooding issues. 00:11:05
I remember I said it wasn't all about the pictures, it's also about how. 00:11:08
Were affected by. 00:11:11
The city our king tithes our high tides. 00:11:13
And I'm going to go ahead and say it because we are. 00:11:18
Rapidly approaching the season as in a couple of days and we've already had our first tropical depression form. 00:11:20
Is on the Pacific side of. 00:11:26
So we'll keep them all over there this year. We're hoping, praying. 00:11:29
We're not going to be able to address hurricane. 00:11:34
Flooding OK. 00:11:38
The wall of water. 00:11:40
For those of you that are new to the area, just give you some insight. 00:11:43
When you go down and look in front of the seagulls, there the last palm tree by the cannon. If you look up at the top where the. 00:11:47
From whatever you call pom poms or whatever. 00:11:55
Starts going on. There used to be a ribbon up there. That ribbon signified what the water level would be in a category 3. 00:11:58
I've written out a lot of storms here over the last 25 years. 00:12:06
Category 3. 00:12:11
You're gonna have to find me. 00:12:13
I'm just going to say it that way. 00:12:15
OK King Todd, we have seen the facts and it has affected us and that is something we can't address and actually working towards. 00:12:18
The Community rating system. 00:12:28
OK. That is the National Flood Insurance Program. 00:12:31
It's a voluntary program. 00:12:34
That the cities offer. 00:12:37
Umm, there's certain things that we do and we go through and some public information and there should be a flyer coming up very 00:12:39
soon. 00:12:43
In regards to that which is a component that we get extra points. 00:12:49
Currently, the city of Saint Mary's holds a rating SARS rating of seven. 00:12:54
Which is. 00:13:01
7 out of 10 which gives us. 00:13:03
10 to 15% discount for citizens on flood insurance. 00:13:05
OK, I'm sorry to interrupt but. 00:13:10
So this is back, this was a couple years ago, correct? Are we still correct? 00:13:12
Different now? Well, we're still in seven. 00:13:17
We're still, yeah, this was this was actually put together in 21 September 21. 00:13:20
OK, just a little sidebar, the CRS. 00:13:26
System is a part of the ISO system. 00:13:30
And all those that have been around the fire service for a long period of time and or have you paid homeowners insurance? 00:13:34
Car insurance based off your ISO rating. These are the same folks, it's just a different branch. 00:13:41
You're all CRS. 00:13:47
Stormwater external services. Who's responsible for the drainage system? This is important, folks. 00:13:52
It's hard to read here, but it is in your handout. 00:13:58
It identifies the private. 00:14:02
Parts. It identifies the public parts, IE public meaning us. 00:14:04
OK. 00:14:09
And I apologize, I'm going to a van on you. 00:14:12
The when you see the. 00:14:16
And my wife's size, that would be a. 00:14:18
Light pink. 00:14:20
Or a fuchsia that's not fuchsia. But anyway you get Peach. 00:14:23
Peach Salmon. That's a good time. 00:14:27
Those are the private areas. Those are the areas that belong to the private property owner. 00:14:31
And it's their responsibility. 00:14:37
You will notice the driveway covers is. 00:14:40
Private. 00:14:44
The blue part. 00:14:45
Are the responsibilities of the city. 00:14:47
OK, Am I reading that right? Yes. 00:14:50
OK, so. 00:14:53
That's things to remember. So they're stock in this. 00:14:55
On both sides. 00:14:59
That's a good way to say it. 00:15:01
OK. 00:15:03
Some move ahead. 00:15:07
So. 00:15:12
And 21. 00:15:13
A new dedicated Vantage crew was estimated at $190,000. 00:15:15
Purchase Contract Services was estimated at 50,000. 00:15:21
Road paving and Drainage supplies 25,000. CIP Projects This was the initial budget. CIP Projects was 300,000. 00:15:25
Is what they had figured in. 00:15:34
And the amortization cost of $25,000. 00:15:36
OK. That was in 21. 00:15:40
We'll get to the other stuff because I know what's going to be asking. Just a minute. 00:15:42
So quick overview of the functions as a user fee. 00:15:48
Based system similar to other Public Utilities, water, sewer, sanitation etc. 00:15:52
100% of the revenues to the dedicated stormwater program. 00:15:58
Assigns cost to. 00:16:03
All partials based on. 00:16:05
Impervious services, Thank you. 00:16:11
Last time we all ordered utility fee and user fee. 00:16:15
It addresses the problem. That's the short version of it. 00:16:19
Every developed. 00:16:23
Property first I said developed property. 00:16:26
Has taken a game because they're affecting it. You're putting something on the ground that's not allowing the water to get through 00:16:30
where it would normally come through. 00:16:34
Phase according to demand and service received. 00:16:40
Stable. 00:16:44
Consistent annual revenue stream that's coming in. 00:16:45
Eliminate Eliminate the need for future mileage increases for additional stormwater services. 00:16:49
Revenues can pay for bond and G for loan debt service as well as city match for grants. 00:16:56
So think about that for justice a minute. 00:17:04
Because we're going to get into the revenue stream here in a minute. 00:17:07
You're gonna look at it and go, well, how are we gonna still pay all those, those large CIP projects? 00:17:11
OK, the Georgia storm water utilities. 00:17:17
This is not something new. This is not something that has just been created. 00:17:23
It was originally created in 1998 in Griffin, GA. 00:17:28
And are currently at in 21. 00:17:32
There were 70 stormwater utilities in 21. 00:17:35
What about South Georgia? 00:17:38
Or Hinesville, Desert Green Garden City does a Valdosta states for Richmond and Brunswick. 00:17:40
Typical residential customers waiting in Georgia. 00:17:47
Is approximately $5 per. 00:17:51
Month statewide. That's residential. 00:17:54
Again, that's residential. 00:17:58
Is that still the case? It's it's still the case. 00:18:00
Robbie yes. 00:18:07
Am I? 00:18:10
Right, because I think we talked about this before this day probably. 00:18:11
Give a little bit more insight. 00:18:18
But. 00:18:21
Churches and people that doesn't pay taxes, they'll have to pay. 00:18:24
No Sir, that's actually incorrect. 00:18:29
It's not. It is. Everyone, including the city of Saint Mary's, will have to pay into. 00:18:31
Everybody. Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you said wouldn't have to hold on. 00:18:38
And that's because I got the facts of that correct. Say again. 00:18:43
Sorry, it's a fee, not a tax. Yes, it is a fee. It is model tax, that is correct. 00:18:48
OK. 00:18:54
Our attorney sent. 00:18:57
From information I don't know if y'all. 00:18:58
Rather than not but. 00:19:01
I talked with some of the folks from. 00:19:05
The city of Fort Wentworth. 00:19:07
Last two or three days. 00:19:10
Because there were lawsuits. 00:19:15
And they said that. 00:19:17
They had one lawsuit against them. 00:19:19
Of the city of Port Wentworth. 00:19:22
And they said that that was a family that sued them for everything. They had about 6 or 7 lawsuits, so. 00:19:24
Everybody. 00:19:31
Airplane. It's a. 00:19:34
It's a pretty good thing for. 00:19:36
A good call. 00:19:38
The way the way that this. 00:19:40
Program was put into place. 00:19:43
And. 00:19:45
Constructed. 00:19:46
UMM reduces our liability for issues of of that nature. 00:19:48
So that's something also kind of. 00:19:55
Be mindful of as well. 00:19:57
So thank you, Mr. Jones. 00:20:00
So everything is built off of equivalent residential unit or. 00:20:02
Uh, use. 00:20:08
One eru is considered. 00:20:10
700 square feet. 00:20:13
Of. 00:20:15
Impervious surfaces. 00:20:17
OK, So what they did? 00:20:19
Well, I better shut up. I'll get into my stuff here in a minute. 00:20:23
The single family. 00:20:27
Is 1 flat ERU, so $5.00 a month. 00:20:29
Here's what was proposed as a part of this the space structure. 00:20:34
Multifamily. 00:20:37
Which is the apartment buildings. 00:20:39
Not the duplexes, but apartment buildings. OK. 00:20:44
Just want to clarify that. 00:20:47
Commercial properties and industrial schools, churches and government. 00:20:49
They are figured. 00:20:53
Actually going in and looking with GIS determining what kind of impervious services. 00:20:55
Or own that piece of property. 00:21:02
You figure out the square footage or the acres if you will. I used acres. I had to figure it out for myself too. 00:21:05
But you figure out the square footage. 00:21:12
Then you apply the 3700 square feet. 00:21:15
Into the square feet of what they've got, and that tells you how many, uh, use. 00:21:20
Are on each property. 00:21:25
So this goes in more in detail about how it's calculated. 00:21:29
Your driveways are calculated. Your sidewalks. 00:21:33
Actual structure. 00:21:37
Is calculated on the lot. 00:21:39
So if you've got a building. 00:21:42
You must go downtown for just a minute. 00:21:45
Pardon me and you've got a lot that you've got a building because commercial properties in our historic district. 00:21:48
Go from a lot longer. 00:21:55
A lot of cities do that. 00:21:58
So that whole. 00:22:00
Property is absorbed with impervious surfaces. 00:22:02
So you're paying on square footage that the building is sitting on? 00:22:06
Everybody kind of tracking on me with me there. 00:22:10
So. 00:22:13
Apartment and parking lots and everything else, yes. 00:22:16
So. 00:22:20
Some more calculations on it. 00:22:24
They are using. 00:22:26
What is the E for us? I can't remember. 00:22:29
Non single family residence. Thank you. 00:22:33
Rather right? 00:22:37
So then if we talked about budget again and we're going to, we're going to look at some fresher numbers here in just a minute. 00:22:39
Breakdown on some of the revenue and we'll look at. 00:22:47
At some more of that in just a minute. 00:22:50
It's more of the model. 00:22:55
This is an example. 00:23:00
Of the stormwater utility rights in Georgia. 00:23:03
Statesboro figures at 395, Brunswick at 395, as per ERU. 00:23:07
Griffin. 00:23:14
65. 00:23:16
Richmond at 475. 00:23:17
470-5475. 00:23:20
$5 and 586 in Hinesville. 00:23:24
Charlie, can you slide that up a little bit more, please? 00:23:27
And then Augusta at $6.40. 00:23:30
OK. And you also notice that the ERU square footages are? 00:23:34
Are varied. How did they come up with 3700 square feet? They took an average of residents homes in the city. 00:23:39
And kind of where it fell and it was around. 00:23:46
About real, eventual. 00:23:50
Young person yet? 00:23:53
I'm getting. I'm getting there. I'm getting better. 00:23:58
Of how much? 00:24:01
Impervious services are on average on all the residential lots and that's where they came up with 37 square feet. 00:24:03
So this is kind of how the Bills would look. 00:24:12
For one for one month. 00:24:18
There is the ability to have. 00:24:24
Phone discounts. 00:24:27
On a commercial side. 00:24:30
If you have I'm using this as an example if you have a retention pond. 00:24:31
Own your property. 00:24:36
Then you have the ability to reduce how much you have to pay. 00:24:38
And that there is a process for that and that's an ordinance that you can go back and you can look at. 00:24:42
We're not talking about the ordinance we're talking about, right? 00:24:48
There's there's other things that you can do which are also in the ordinance to help. 00:24:52
Reduce what you end up paying. 00:24:57
And if you'll remember, I'm going to back up just a minute. And if you'll also remember, we're in the process with a a growth 00:25:02
bone. 00:25:05
OK. And we're already working with new. 00:25:09
Construction. 00:25:12
At commercial that they provide some means of retention, some means of handling their storm water. 00:25:14
So they're going to see some of the benefits from. 00:25:23
OK, just keep that in your mind. 00:25:26
Robin let me before I think because I don't think we come back to it again here. 00:25:28
I want to dress a little bit more about the ER you just so there's, there's some clarity. 00:25:34
You know, so my understanding the process of the random sampling of residential properties and and 3700 was the average. 00:25:39
Impervious service you know per residential lot and. 00:25:47
And so that there will be a flat fee. 00:25:51
For all residential single family residences. 00:25:54
Regardless of the actual impervious service. 00:25:57
On that property I mean. 00:26:02
You might have a house somewhere that has. 00:26:04
A 1600 square foot, you know, house roof. 00:26:07
There's no dirt driveway, so no impervious surface there. 00:26:10
But that. 00:26:15
Single family residents would still be taxed at one full. 00:26:16
Not taxed. This would be charged as a fee. 00:26:20
One Eru or the 3700 foot. 00:26:23
You know, standard of a single family residence. 00:26:27
So every single family residence regardless kind of their. 00:26:31
Square footage of impervious service. 00:26:35
Be charged at 1:00. 00:26:38
ERU rate that flat rate. 00:26:39
And then when you get into non single family. 00:26:42
Multifamily, commercial, those other types of properties than the actual calculations would be done. 00:26:45
And of course, you know, part of that I assume is that. 00:26:50
The burden of having to calculate every additional property and then every time any change is made to that property. 00:26:54
Additional accessory structures are built or any kind of thing the city would constantly be having to. 00:27:01
Monitor every residential property in town and so that I'm assuming as the result. 00:27:07
And from what I understand that this is this process has been legally upheld by the. 00:27:13
Georgia Supreme Court to be handled in that way and so. 00:27:18
But, you know, I know that there will be folks out there saying that, well, you know, I don't have, my house is not that big and I 00:27:22
don't have a paved driveway. 00:27:26
Yes, I just wanted to clarify that that was the situation. 00:27:30
Based on the average of single family residences so. 00:27:34
Is that clear? Anybody from task force? 00:27:39
Anything that. 00:27:41
Said a lot better than I did. 00:27:44
A lot more better. 00:27:47
So there's some other credits that are available. 00:27:54
And it's it's all there in ordinance. 00:27:56
This tells you how it was calculated. Goes into all that. 00:28:07
This is what the utility ordinance covered. 00:28:15
This is the highlights of it establishment of the. 00:28:19
Storm wired to utility service area, the scope of responsibility, customer classes. 00:28:22
Umm, user fee charged the billing rates, the user fee credits, the billing delinquencies. 00:28:29
Collections and adjustments, appeals and hearings. There is the opportunity for appeals. 00:28:35
OK, so. 00:28:41
We have adopted the ordinance, but we have never adopted the credit me. 00:28:45
But we still have the credit applications, the building database completion and upload. 00:28:51
Adopt budget for 22 and set rate. 00:28:56
Customer notification, first storm water, utility bill and cycle. 00:29:00
Umm, I don't know Council's desire, but I wanted to make you aware of it. 00:29:06
In the original contract with GMC, Who? 00:29:12
Was the. 00:29:15
That design. 00:29:18
Advisors, we still have some. 00:29:20
We haven't paid for it, but we still have a contract out there with money still left to help with the initiation of the program. 00:29:23
But that's going to cost us. 00:29:31
Some money, and I don't know exactly what those numbers are at this time. 00:29:34
So I just follow that away. 00:29:40
A lot of public education has occurred. There is there is information out there. 00:29:44
And Miss Courtney Wright was the lady that. 00:29:50
Did that? Excuse me half a second. 00:29:54
She's not there anymore. 00:29:59
And I guess I should have made the letters a little bit bigger. 00:30:23
We have provided this for you also in your packet. 00:30:27
Mayor and council, these are some updated numbers. These are this is the anticipated revenue. 00:30:30
If we were to look at the one aru equaling the $5 that we had discussed. 00:30:37
We talk about the current residential. 00:30:45
7000. 00:30:49
594. 00:30:52
Residential units in the city right now. 00:30:55
Umm, at. 00:30:58
Annual cost of $60.00 a piece. 00:31:01
5 * 12 is 60 I had to get. 00:31:04
Be reminded of that math. 00:31:07
Sorry. 00:31:09
Total revenues from residential. 00:31:13
Is anticipated at $455,640. 00:31:16
Umm, we have in. In that packet that I gave you there is a. 00:31:21
A 11. 00:31:28
8 by 14 it's a little bit bigger paper. 00:31:31
They provided roughly 80. 00:31:35
Commercial properties. Some of the names have changed, but the properties are still there. 00:31:38
It gives you an idea. We've used those numbers. 00:31:43
At a minimum, OK. 00:31:47
And that's where you see the commercial monthly. 00:31:49
That's the number. 00:31:54
I'm sorry. 00:31:56
Feed that you're showing us. 00:31:59
On this, yes. 00:32:02
Yes, but we calculated it out. 00:32:04
Well, that's monthly too, yeah. 00:32:08
But then you say the Daniel revenue? 00:32:10
Being around 262,410. 00:32:13
Now you notice that number doesn't change. That was just to kind of get us a bare metal of. 00:32:16
Kind of understanding what we've got coming in. 00:32:22
OK. So in the first year, if we were to implement this year? 00:32:25
With the one ARU at $5. 00:32:33
You're looking at 700. 00:32:36
And 18. 00:32:38
$718,050 and 50%. 00:32:40
At a bare metal. 00:32:45
To granted, there's more commercial property out there that they will have to go through and calculate them out. 00:32:46
Come up with the are use for those. 00:32:53
And go so. 00:32:55
That's what the revenue picture or estimation, if you will. 00:32:58
Kind of looks like. 00:33:02
The expense side? 00:33:04
Salary and wages and benefits and we've also provided council with a a budget. 00:33:07
That you're more accustomed to, especially after tonight because you looked at the same ones. 00:33:14
Tonight when you looked at the budget. 00:33:18
But we roughly estimate that the. 00:33:20
Initial year being 200, I mean being 1,192,000. 00:33:23
734. 00:33:30
Now that is also taking several some of the a lot of the stuff that we've approved as part of the existing budget. 00:33:32
Not approved. 00:33:39
That we want to approve in our next meeting. 00:33:41
The ditch crew. 00:33:44
The auger, the other stuff. 00:33:45
Like that and we've moved it over there. 00:33:49
From that. 00:33:51
OK. 00:33:52
Already existed. 00:33:56
It's it's in the proposed budget. Yes, ma'am. There's nothing added to it that. 00:33:58
Quite effective when you say, well we took stuff out of. 00:34:03
Out of it, but. 00:34:06
Anyway, you kind of get the idea. 00:34:08
So again. 00:34:10
That's pulling from. 00:34:12
The proposed 26 budget. 00:34:14
To create the budget for the storm water utility. 00:34:17
OK, questions. 00:34:21
So I guess one of the things I wanted to point out there was a slide. 00:34:25
Don't think we spent much time on it that talked about. 00:34:28
Revenue sources for. 00:34:34
Storm water management plans. 00:34:36
The two primary. 00:34:39
On that side, the two primary sources are Word General Fund. 00:34:41
As well as stormwater utility. 00:34:45
With some of the secondary options being. 00:34:48
Things such as SPLOST, impact feeds, aid to construction grants. 00:34:51
Other other types of things like that. 00:34:56
Will be clear that. 00:35:00
That the storm water utility is not necessarily. 00:35:02
Going to, in and of itself fund everything that needs to be funded for Storm and. 00:35:05
Because I know somebody's gonna pick up on what I just said. 00:35:10
The G phones, a lot of them are. 00:35:14
Principle Forgiveness. 00:35:18
The third person. 00:35:19
OK. So it's kind of like low, I mean kind of like a grant. So just I don't want anybody hit the Oh my God, you're going to get 00:35:21
more loans. 00:35:25
Or not so. 00:35:30
Just I want to throw that out very well. 00:35:31
The recommendation? 00:35:35
Umm is to use. 00:35:37
That CIP money to make it go as far as we possibly can. I tagged some of these infrastructure grants that we're seeing and things 00:35:41
of that nature. 00:35:45
To move ahead, which is going to spawn another conversation that we collectively as a body need to have. 00:35:50
Is the. 00:35:57
A clear direction or where your priorities are in the grant world. 00:35:59
OK, so we do need to have those conversations. 00:36:04
So we'll just go through that part out there. I'm sorry. 00:36:08
Well. 00:36:11
Yeah, Robbie, thank you for. 00:36:15
Explaining and bringing everybody up to. 00:36:19
Speed and. 00:36:22
We have a former Councilman that knows that we've been. 00:36:25
Kicking this can down the road for a long time. 00:36:29
It's about time that we. 00:36:33
Get serious about this because it's. 00:36:35
We're gonna have to do it. 00:36:38
Only way we're going to be able to do it is to get started so. 00:36:42
Let's keep that in mind. 00:36:46
Yeah. And one of the ongoing conversation like I said that. 00:36:49
That we've had is is making sure that. 00:36:53
We're prepared as a city to. 00:36:58
Move forward and utilize these funds, you know, in an effective manner. 00:37:01
We have a CIP plan with projected costs. 00:37:06
But realizing that we don't actually have engineering or design. 00:37:10
You know, done on. 00:37:15
A lot of those projects, so you know, if we were to start collecting money tomorrow and. 00:37:16
You know, wanted to address, you know, we identified OK, these are our top, you know, 5 or 6 priority projects. 00:37:23
You know, we're not going to be able to, you know, next Monday start. 00:37:28
Digging, you know. 00:37:32
Because we're going to have to go, there are going to be some upfront design engineering expenses that have to occur. There may 00:37:34
be. 00:37:37
Wetland mitigation situations, DNR approvals for certain things that are that are in. 00:37:41
Wetland or marsh areas that you know, drainage. 00:37:47
Outfall areas that are going into, you know. 00:37:50
Protected areas like that that. 00:37:53
We'll take some back and forth with, you know, the appropriate agencies in order to actually get green lights to. 00:37:55
To put shovels in the ground. 00:38:03
But given that, you know, I still want to make sure that we're. 00:38:06
Geared up and able to move forward as quickly as possible and that's what I've been talking to. 00:38:12
The staff about, you know, Bob, Robbie and Bobby, you know, definitely know we've had those conversations so. 00:38:17
You know, but tonight I felt like it was really important, like I said, for us to kind of get this groundwork. Everybody refresh 00:38:24
their memory. 00:38:28
Where we are and why you know and we have this list of projects, some of the. 00:38:31
Projects from that original, but this one has been updated. 00:38:36
The CIP plan in in 2019, but even. 00:38:39
Even it, you know, has some things that have been accomplished. 00:38:42
I'm not sure where it's at on here, but the. 00:38:47
Over on. 00:38:51
Mission Trace is that. 00:38:54
You know, you know, we got some of those things out forbid and out for. 00:38:56
Construction right now to those culverts and those types of things that would have certainly been. 00:39:00
A part of this plan. So things are getting done. 00:39:04
But we're moving rather slowly because we don't have, you know. 00:39:08
The appropriate funding and, uh. 00:39:12
This this is. 00:39:16
The mechanism that seems to be most popular across the state. 00:39:19
Most proven method for. 00:39:23
Having something that's associated directly with, you know. 00:39:26
At least part of the. 00:39:30
The benefit? The amount of runoff that's being created by properties. 00:39:31
As a way to administer something that. 00:39:36
That everyone can see benefit from. You know there'll be benefit on city streets. 00:39:39
From flooding, you know, just in your general travel and those kinds of things as culverts and those kinds of things are. 00:39:45
Are looked at and obviously downtown. 00:39:51
Where we have. 00:39:53
Heavy tree canopy, heavy tree coverage. 00:39:55
Leaves and Moss and those kinds of things are. 00:39:57
Are constant, you know, issues that. 00:40:01
You know, like I said, a street sweeper. 00:40:05
I know we've got one of those in the budget already, so. 00:40:07
You know, but. 00:40:10
You know those are. 00:40:12
You know, things that will. 00:40:13
We go a long way to keeping the culverts clean and the water moving. 00:40:15
We have some problem areas in this town. 00:40:20
Because. 00:40:22
This was essentially a swamp 250 years ago. A lot of it. And we still got a lot of it. It is. 00:40:23
Swamp, our beloved spine area is very self-evident but. 00:40:30
After this rainstorm Sunday night, riding around, you know. 00:40:35
Their heirs with standing order and some of it intruding on some houses that. 00:40:39
You know, in hindsight, you know, should have been built up, you know, 5 or 6 inches higher, you know, but they weren't, you know, 00:40:44
and. 00:40:48
We can't. 00:40:53
We're not going to be able to address all those kinds of things because water has to go somewhere and when it's a. 00:40:54
When it's a full moon, high tide, king tide, and where there's storm water back up. 00:40:58
Because this house was. 00:41:05
75 yards from the marsh, you know, you know. 00:41:07
But if it's high tide? 00:41:10
The water is not draining into the marsh. It's coming from the marsh, you know, as as well as the the rain water so. 00:41:12
It's not the cure all to end all to every issue, to every individual's issue. 00:41:19
But it's a larger master plan plan problem. You know, it's a, it's a need for the entire. 00:41:24
Community, uh. 00:41:30
And as already says. 00:41:31
This cans got kicked to us now. 00:41:33
And uh. 00:41:36
You know, I think we. 00:41:37
We got the. 00:41:40
The political will here to try to do something. 00:41:41
To address this problem that so many people have been. 00:41:45
You know, speaking to us about over the last five or six months, so. 00:41:48
What was the? 00:41:53
We did a drainage study out of Crooked River. I think that was the one we you have a presentation on Monday night, not not Monday 00:41:55
night up. 00:41:59
No, it is Monday night. 00:42:03
Monday night, you take it. You'll have a presentation on from there. 00:42:05
So I wanted to thank you for this. I think this was great. One of my concerns was and that's why I brought up. 00:42:09
Having that D be lower, but it's actually a lot less of an impact than I thought on churches and commercial space and stuff. 00:42:15
So. 00:42:23
I mean, I, I think this was very eye opening to me. I appreciate that presentation and this kind of helps me give an overview of 00:42:25
everything. 00:42:28
I agree. I'm I'm looking forward to going going forward and just like. 00:42:32
Mr. Jones just said just get this ball rolling. 00:42:36
Have we taken a look at, you know, like I know part of the initial plan was before we got a second ditch crew or before we got. 00:42:39
You know, we have more now, the different landscape. 00:42:47
Have we identified like which say public works budget employees would fall under the stormwater utility enterprise that's figuring 00:42:49
there's? 00:42:53
You've got the one ditch crew is what we're allocating into that budget. 00:42:58
There's also portions of other. 00:43:03
Like if you're saying I'm not saying this is what's going to happen, but if. 00:43:06
With Remy's position is if she takes on that role. 00:43:11
And she's under Community Development World. 00:43:16
So part of her shower would also come out of that as well. 00:43:19
Some of boggies would, some of. 00:43:22
Alex would. 00:43:25
So there will be some additional staff in there that would be a part of them and say we already have a street sweeper, we've 00:43:26
already budgeted for it and purchased it. But with that move over to the storm water utility fund for maintenance of those items 00:43:30
are different it came in. 00:43:35
It can where the building do that but. 00:43:40
That's not what we were calculating. We. 00:43:42
Our main focus on what we put. 00:43:45
In front of you tonight. 00:43:48
On that ditch curve. 00:43:50
So that was, you know, and that's taking. 00:43:52
Like you don't say a cost for vehicle. 00:43:54
I think there's a dump truck in there. 00:43:57
I'll tell you one dog truck. 00:44:00
That. 00:44:03
That, that top rate, that discrete is what we were focusing on out of the gate. 00:44:04
But that freezes up down the road. 00:44:10
If that makes any sense. I'm just trying to think about how it affects our budget and how it could affect and the mileage rate or 00:44:12
the total amount where if we have this fund over here you figure you're taking. 00:44:16
Up to 1,000,000 you're taking me. 00:44:22
So that's. 00:44:25
And that's equivalent of the mill. 00:44:27
So it could it could have an effect. 00:44:30
But it. 00:44:33
You know, in semester all these point, I'm sorry. 00:44:35
Because if I don't say it, he's going to. 00:44:39
It also protects that crew to where if we do have something come down the pipeline and we do have to make cuts again like we did 00:44:42
in 2010. 00:44:46
That ditch crew is protected. 00:44:51
Because they are in that, you know, they're compensated out of that debt. 00:44:53
Utility. 00:44:57
Yeah, it does. And I know that it wouldn't be a full rollback of your total fund for your mileage rate because you're adding 00:45:00
additional service and you're raising money for different capital improvements in storm water. So it wouldn't be 100% reduction 00:45:05
from the. 00:45:09
Budget, right? 00:45:14
What Enterprise Point creates right? 00:45:15
Mr. Horton, I have a question. How are we priority? 00:45:18
Prioritizing. 00:45:22
Our capital projects in the plan. 00:45:24
You've given us a list, I think, that shows. 00:45:28
$7.4 million. 00:45:32
And then there's another schedule here. 00:45:35
I mean, this work was done a while back, so are we the one that you have? 00:45:39
222 or 23? 00:45:51
Yes. 00:45:54
That was, it was recently done and also recently yesterday was so that's 1.5 million. 00:45:56
I'm sorry, at 1.9. 00:46:06
Million for 20/19. 00:46:10
Sorry, OK. 00:46:22
This yes. 00:46:23
I'm just wondering how we're prioritizing all the many things that were identified. 00:46:29
And the study? 00:46:35
And how we arrived at the 219,000. 00:46:37
The ones that we that we put into that budget. 00:46:43
Correct. We pulled that because that's what we currently have going for this year, which is. 00:46:46
I think some of the engineer. 00:46:53
I'm drunk and altered. 00:46:55
Yeah, Champagne was dump truck and all. 00:46:58
For those in the audience that are. 00:47:01
Online, that didn't hear what Mr. Moore said. 00:47:03
You've come up here. 00:47:06
But there there is in the actual plan, a prioritization of these projects. 00:47:09
That were done as part of the study from was that ATM or whoever right. So are we still using that? 00:47:16
Prioritization. 00:47:25
Or are we planning to go back unless we have something that comes in that's going to take a higher priority? 00:47:27
You know that we have things that come up that. 00:47:35
I mean, like I said, if if. 00:47:38
If those. 00:47:42
Items have not been addressed and they're still issues. You know, like I think like Robbie said I would be, my preference would be 00:47:43
to. 00:47:46
Utilize what funds we have available to actually making these repairs versus going back and spending money trying to figure out. 00:47:51
Should we? Should we start here? Should we really do? 00:47:59
I'd rather be getting some things done and spending more money on studies. 00:48:02
To see if they're agreed to spend some money so. 00:48:05
You know, I think you know, we get, we get started on a list of things we have and. 00:48:11
And we start tearing that down some. Then we, you know, we. 00:48:15
We can study it again. 00:48:18
Yeah, I'm not suggesting we study it again. I just. 00:48:19
Wanted to make while we're still. 00:48:26
There was some suggestions made by citizens about. 00:48:30
Other mechanisms and other modalities. 00:48:35
On how to, you know, assess the. 00:48:38
Uh, you know, one in one in particular. 00:48:42
Which was a very straightforward. 00:48:44
Process of. 00:48:46
A percentage of property tax or something? 00:48:48
You know we have learned. You know that if it. 00:48:52
If it is based. 00:48:55
Not the impact of storm water on the property as impervious services of the surfaces are. 00:48:57
Or such, but rather just a property tax type thing. 00:49:04
That it that it does then become a tax. 00:49:08
Because it's based on an ad valorem situation and not a fee. 00:49:11
And you know, one of the ongoing issues and the way this policy was crafted. 00:49:15
I think several of us have had conversations with Mr. Blackby, as well as the very nice document that he. 00:49:20
Forwarded to us. 00:49:27
That this policy was crafted, you know, to avoid. 00:49:29
Some of the litigation that has has occurred across the state in the way these things are administered and and and funded. 00:49:34
And that this fee based process based on the impervious surface. 00:49:41
Percentages. 00:49:46
Has been up, like I said, upheld by the Supreme Court based off a case through the Athens area, Athens, Clark County area, so. 00:49:47
Umm, you know, while it may have some. 00:49:56
Thoughts or things you know? This seems to be the proven. 00:49:58
Proven modality of Beth. 00:50:02
Best course of action to stick to this. 00:50:04
We even talked about. 00:50:06
Alterations in the funding schedules and those kinds of things, and it was advised that the best thing to do is. 00:50:09
It's just to stick to it very basically as it's proposed. 00:50:15
There are a number of. 00:50:18
Credits and the credit manual and the different ways to mediate things, you know, catch basins and and. 00:50:21
Converting areas you know back to natural and and. 00:50:27
You know, installing impervious, you know, driveways and those kinds of things versus, you know. 00:50:31
That might potentially. 00:50:36
Have an impact on new development in particular, but. 00:50:38
So I just wanted to say that for the benefit of those that had proposed some other mechanisms. 00:50:42
For funding that. 00:50:47
The reason we're sticking with this is. 00:50:49
Is. 00:50:52
Is that legal? Legal issue? 00:50:53
This is the. 00:50:55
The prudent Safeway to go for the city so. 00:50:57
Again, Greg. 00:51:03
Hit the nail on the head. They're all kind of funding mechanisms out there. 00:51:06
Mr. Seals with his tennis courts and things you know he's going to. 00:51:12
He's going to get off like a fat rat because it's like having two or three homes. 00:51:15
Where he is. 00:51:21
But what we need to to do? 00:51:23
Today. Tonight. 00:51:26
Is uh. 00:51:27
Let the staff know that we want to. 00:51:29
We want to. 00:51:32
Pursue this and we want to start now. 00:51:33
And do everything we need to do to get this. 00:51:36
On the road because I'm. 00:51:39
Ever since 2019, it's been going on. 00:51:42
I'm tired of kicking the can. We need to get it done. 00:51:46
I do agree I want to further pursue the avenue, but I'm definitely not ready to make a decision. I mean you were on count for you 00:51:50
know, for the time frame when it was worked on and it looks like a little over 4 years of work was done probably longer than that 00:51:54
of. 00:51:57
Research and that and it's here. This is our first session of getting all this information at one time. 00:52:01
Umm. So I do think we could actually. 00:52:06
I would like to have another work session on after we have a chance to ask them questions, get some benefits staff and have 00:52:08
another discussion. You can and that's what I'm saying that's continue. Let's continue working on it, yes. 00:52:14
Let's don't drop it here in next year, this time here. 00:52:20
Right back where we are here. I agree. I think within, you know, within. 00:52:24
Two months or so, we ought to be more than adequately prepared and. 00:52:29
Have the knowledge. 00:52:34
That we need in front of us to. 00:52:35
Like that I want I want to set that. 00:52:38
That fee level, I mean $5 was what was recommended back, you know, five years ago, you know, is that the number we still need to 00:52:40
be at, you know, and does is that provide the correct funding and. 00:52:46
We just need to get to that. 00:52:54
That determination as soon as we can and. 00:52:56
And then we'll be ready to put this before council and and. 00:52:59
And move forward. 00:53:03
Could we could we schedule a work session? 00:53:04
Yeah, you know. 00:53:07
Just another one. 00:53:09
Let's let Robbie and Bobby get together and see what it's going to take. 00:53:11
To kind of prepare that. 00:53:15
That budget those numbers and do the crunch the math and then. 00:53:17
They can get back with us here within the maybe within the next month. 00:53:21
A work session. 00:53:25
Yeah, and you know, just a small thing, not a large thing like to consider. So, umm. 00:53:27
You know, with the credits that you give and then just the way we have to charge, they're like. 00:53:32
A developer you know we're now. 00:53:37
You know, want to require developers to have like, you know, parks and things like that. If that creates an impervious service or 00:53:39
a surface like their pavement or anything for a playground, anything with, you know, like. 00:53:44
I know that wasn't considered. 00:53:50
In 21 but you know like a credit for. 00:53:52
Where they don't have to be penalized for creating a park that we require them to have, but if they want to have a little late. 00:53:55
That would help them. 00:54:01
And honestly, I think with the. 00:54:05
The a lot of the development that we're seeing. 00:54:10
Now, granted, a single house, that's the different story, but we start talking about getting outside of that where we have to pay 00:54:13
attention to the larger scale. 00:54:17
I think with the staff that we've got and we've done a good job over the last. 00:54:22
6-7 years. 00:54:28
Of staying on top of that. 00:54:30
You know, with people on that. 00:54:33
And several of the developers I've had personal contact with. 00:54:36
That's part of the discussion we had. 00:54:39
It's like, no, we don't charge for it yet. 00:54:41
But you've got to understand it may be coming, so you need to be thinking about that along the way. 00:54:44
So they've gone and taken extra steps. I mean, that's the reason the Park Service and. 00:54:49
In the new parking lot, that's the reason they're going to. 00:54:55
For your services, you know, we had that conversation with him saying look you. 00:54:59
Yeah, everybody likes blacktop. Not, but that's a joke. 00:55:04
So, but think about that going into it. And that was one of the reasons they went the direction they went. 00:55:09
So we've been having these conversations for quite some time with our developers, making them aware of it so. 00:55:14
I think that we're going to see and especially how. 00:55:21
The Stone has done it, and her staff. 00:55:25
You know, walking with the developers and going. 00:55:27
You know. 00:55:30
Yes, you can call it a retention pond. 00:55:32
But OK, you sell it as a lake. 00:55:35
You know what I mean? 00:55:38
And so she's been working very diligently at helping them craft the image and appropriate words for. 00:55:39
What we consider is storm or runoff. 00:55:47
We have a relatively new. 00:55:51
Administration within the school system, certainly since this was initially passed and. 00:55:53
I know there's some things in there about education and the schools being able to. 00:55:59
Get some credit for teaching educational classes and things on storm water and, and, and some education credits. I thought I saw 00:56:05
something in the ordinance when I read through that credit. I'll have to dig back into it. When you dig back in that way, you 00:56:10
certainly need to make sure that the school system is is aware. 00:56:16
How this might impact? 00:56:22
Impact them and their budget with the schools and. 00:56:24
You know, they certainly have a very large roof areas and parking lots and. 00:56:28
But I thought there was something in there about education credits or whatever for. 00:56:33
Doing educational work in in stormwater and you know. 00:56:39
So I'll go back and look at. 00:56:43
Don't remember any of that. 00:56:46
Maybe I just made it up. Sounded good. No, but I'm pretty sure. 00:56:50
Very impressed, yeah. 00:56:55
Maybe it was in some of the other documents from the storm water plan guide that we had that that was done in other areas or 00:56:59
something. 00:57:02
I know I read it. 00:57:05
So. 00:57:07
OK. 00:57:11
Anything else anyone wants to add? 00:57:14
We adjourned. 00:57:20