City looks to form stormwater committee
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on August 21, 2016 1:45 AM
City of Goldsboro leaders could consider adopting a new stormwater utility fee depending on recommendations from a future stormwater stakeholder committee.
The city is currently accepting applications for the committee, planned to include 15 members representing homeowners, businesses, churches and local government, including schools. The goal is to have at least two members from each of the Goldsboro City Council's six districts, said Jose Martinez, the city public works director.
The Public Works Department is accepting applications, which can be picked up at the department, at 1601 Clingman St., or found on the department's website, accessible on the streets and storm sewer maintenance web page. The department can be reached at 734-8674 for residents interested in having the application mailed.
"The purpose of this committee is to see is the city, as a whole, happy with the level of service we're giving them," Martinez said.
The city's stormwater division continues to lag behind in its efforts to clear ditches, unclog pipes and other work to alleviate flooding.
City workers are also dissatisfied with the level of service they are able to provide, Martinez said.
"The reason why we decided to do this is because the people who work in the streets and stormwater division wanted to do more than they could," he said. "We get calls frequently about things that (need) to be fixed, and they feel like their hands are tied. We are at our limit with our capabilities to handle our stormwater maintenance. We have to do something different."
Stormwater crews are also responsible for street maintenance. The division is funded through the city's general fund, which is supported by property tax revenues.
"The stormwater crew is the same crew that does our asphalt patches, the same crew that does our concrete patches," Martinez said. "It's the same crew that does our mowing of city owned lots. Then, of course, the stormwater, which is the ditches, and it's the pipe crew. It's all the streets and stormwater division and they wear multiple hats."
Each budget year, stormwater needs compete against other city priorities, said Scott Stevens, city manager. Budget limitations have led to putting stormwater management on the back burner.
"It's always going to compete with all the other needs, and we just keep pushing it back," Stevens said, during a recent Goldsboro City Council work session.
The council decided to move forward with forming a stormwater stakeholder committee, designed to represent property owners who could be affected by the change.
Stevens advised the council to only form the committee if they were interested in considering a stormwater fee, which would be added to city utility bills.
"This is something that should have been done years ago," said Councilman Bevan Foster, during a recent work session.
Councilman Bill Broadaway said the city needs to avoid complications that could occur due to the lack of maintenance.
"I think this is a good start," Broadaway said. "We don't want another (Hurricane) Floyd to come through and us not have done anything."
The council has been discussing stormwater needs during the past month and recently approved the formation of a committee. Committee applications were recently posted on the Public Works website.
Currently, efforts are underway to add an application link to the city of Goldsboro's main web page.
Martinez, during a council presentation, showed pictures of ditches and riverbanks that need maintenance and described the extent of the city's responsibility.
The city is not responsible for stormwater generated outside of the city's drainage system, which includes watercourses, channels and pipes that receive and convey stormwater from public property through the city.
City crews aren't responsible for clearing ditches for aesthetic purposes, Martinez said.
If the council decided to adopt a stormwater fee, the cost could range anywhere between $2 and $5, Martinez said.
The city of Goldsboro, unlike several other nearby cities, has not had a stormwater fee since state regulations were approved in the late 1990s, Stevens said.
The council decided against a fee during discussions five years ago, Stevens said.
Stormwater fees in other cities include an Equivalent Residential Unit calculation, which involves estimating the average size of a home in a municipality, Martinez said.
The same fee is charged to either property owners or renters. ERUs are also used to calculate larger properties, based on the amount of impervious surface on a property.
Impervious surfaces, which generate stormwater runoff, are areas that prevent water from seeping into the ground and include parking lots, buildings, sidewalks and other hard surfaces. Monthly stormwater fees are higher for properties with more impervious surfaces.
Stormwater fees vary city by city and generate different levels of revenue, which is used to support stormwater maintenance efforts.
The monthly cost is $4.50 in Kinston, $5 in Rocky Mount and $7.32 in Wilmington. The city of Wilson recently increased its fee from $3.29 to $3.80 per month.
Based on the rates, the cities are collecting anywhere from $1.4 million, in Kinston, to $9.6 million, in Wilmington, for stormwater management.
Goldsboro stormwater crews would still have challenges, even with a new fee.
"The lack of scheduled maintenance in some of these older areas has contributed to flooding in front yards and back yards," Martinez said. "No matter what kind of stormwater program we come up with, there will still be parts of the city that will flood."
The future stormwater stakeholder committee plans to look over the city's current program to determine what changes are needed to improve city service. The group will also consider alternative funding options, including the monthly fee. The committee will recommend changes to the council.
"One of the first or, maybe, second meetings we're going to have, we're going to do a tour of the city and show some of the more hotspot areas," Martinez said.
The committee will also consider the need to create a citywide map for the stormwater system.
Currently, the city budgets an estimated $455,000 for basic stormwater maintenance, labor and gas for city vehicles, Martinez said.
The Public Works Department will continue to receive stormwater stakeholder committee applications until a large enough candidate pool is generated. The director will then recommend to council potential members of the committee.