Published: October 22, 2009 01:14 pm      

Danville plans stormwater utility fee

DANVILLE — While a couple of people had questions, there was no outcry against a new stormwater utility fee during a public hearing ths week at the town council meeting.

The fee will be implemented Jan. 1 to help the municipality comply with the Federal Clean Water Act, which requires local governments to add programs and regulations to address stormwater quality issues.

Citizens can expect to pay an extra $4 a month on their water bill next year. In 2011 it will increase to $5. In 2012 it will be $6. Jim Treat of O.W. Krohn & Associates in Westfield said no studies have yet been conducted beyond that.

“Probably how the process will go is we’ll see what kind of revenues we generate, then we’ll have better track of what our actual costs will be,” he said.

Community officials have designated seven capital improvement projects they want done eventually. Those include storm sewers to curb flooding around town and various ditches that need to be cleared. Altogether they’re projected to cost more than $3 million. The proposed rate on the stormwater utility fee doesn’t come close to covering that.

“It’s just not something they want to try to get people to support right now,” Treat said. “It’s just too much. We’re just trying to find a happy medium between what’s a reasonable cost and how much can we do with it. That’s where we’re starting. We’ll have to go from there.”

Mary Atkins, a project engineer with Wessler & Associates, said initial revenue from the utility will be used to fund the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4), another part of the Clean Water Act and one not paid for by the federal government.

“It’s based on pollution prevention and stormwater quality,” Atkins said. “You’re trying to improve the quality of water in the rivers and streams.”

She added that revenue generated from the stormwater utility can only be used for stormwater-related activity under Indiana code. That includes illicit discharge detection and elimination and pollution prevention practices for municipal operations.

The MS4 program was instituted by the Environmental Protection Agency almost five years ago. Clerk-Treasurer Amy Roberts said the town has funded the mandate through a variety of channels, including the Department of Public Works and the general fund. Decreasing tax revenues have forced officials to find another way to pay for it.

“This permit has been in place for five years,” Town Manager Gary Eakin said. “It’s nothing new, we’ve just been using different revenues to fund it. Those are starting to dry up. We can’t hold out anymore.”

The proposed stormwater utility fee will be up for its first vote at the next town council meeting at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Danville Town Hall.



wade.coggeshall@flyergroup.com