Public Hearing: YES ☐ NO ☒ Department: Public Works - Roads & Drainage
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): All Districts
Proposed Stormwater Utility Fee Increase
Body
Information Contact: Peggy Allen, DDPW
Phone Number: (404) 294-2878
PURPOSE:
To approve the proposed Stormwater Utility fee increase. The resolution and supporting documentation are attached.
NEED/IMPACT:
Since the Stormwater Utility rate increase resolution passed in 2023, Roads and Drainage has been able to repair, rehabilitate, resolve, or improve over one thousand six hundred stormwater infrastructure issues in their backlog. The inventory continues to age and needs ongoing maintenance, upgrades, and/or replacements. The cost of ongoing maintenance continues to increase. The successful reduction of the backlog has afforded the opportunity to address recommendations in the Stormwater Master Plan, including the development of a Stormwater Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The County is moving forward with an Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Water Infrastructure Financing Program (CWIFP) loan to repair and rehabilitate county dams. Additional funds are required in order to adequately maintain the existing stormwater infrastructure, support the required activities of the County’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit (NPDES), fund the CIP to pro-actively repair or upgrade critical stormwater infrastructure, and repay its share of the CWIFP loan.
The current stormwater infrastructure inventory includes more than 4,500 critical pipes an estimated 714 of which are in poor or inoperable condition. The current dam inventory includes 12 dams that are regulated by the Safe Dams Program and all need repairs. The fee increase is critical to continue stormwater infrastructure maintenance operations, carry out CIP projects, and execute dam rehabilitation and repair.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed Stormwater Utility fee increase raises the fee from the current amount of One hundred-twenty dollars ($120.00) per year per equivalent residential unit (ERU) to One hundred thirty-two dollars ($132.00) per year per ERU for the year 2026, One hundred forty-four dollars ($144.00) per year per ERU for the year 2027, One hundred fifty-six dollars ($156.00) per year per ERU for the year 2028, One hundred seventy-eight dollars ($178.00) per year per ERU for the year 2029, and One hundred eighty dollars ($180.00) per year ERU for the year 2030, and for every subsequent year, subject to adjustment through official action of the DeKalb County Governing Authority.
|
Base 2025 |
2026 |
2027 |
2028 |
2029 |
2030 |
|
$27,047,810 |
$35,289,405 |
$38,497,533 |
$41,705,661 |
$44,913,789 |
$48,121,916 |
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
To approve the proposed increase in the stormwater utility fee and to authorize the Chief Executive Officer to execute all necessary documents.