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Marco residents may soon see a new fee on water utility bills
Charge proposed to improve stormwater runoff and drainage
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It appears the old adage may be true – Nothing in life is free, not even storms and the storm water they bring.
A storm water utility fee may soon be a charge Marco property owners will pay for each property’s estimated contributions to storm water runoff. The heavy rains that left the island flooded July 16 are an example of the importance of the storm water drainage system, Marco city officials said.
“I remember back in the late ’70s and ’80s when it rained and you could ride a canoe down Barfield. Public Works has done a good job with drainage so far, but keep in mind that a lot of our drainage was put in during the early 1970s,” said Councilor Ted Forcht.
Forcht added it’s a matter of “maintain it or swim in it.”
City Council told Public Works Director Rony Joel to proceed with the process of creating a storm water utility for Marco Island at their June 16 meeting.
The storm water fees will generate approximately $800,000. This will allow funding for the present level of maintenance and the start of a capital improvement program for storm water management.
The first reading of an ordinance to establish the storm water utility will be at Monday evening’s regular City Council meeting.
A storm water utility enterprise fund would be created with this fee in order to use the money raised exclusively to pay for improvements to the storm water drainage and collection system.
Storm water has a cost to the city because it must be diverted in the right direction using ditch lines, City Manager Steve Thompson explained. It is then held in storage tanks and may need to be treated due to chemicals such as pesticides, he said. These hazardous materials must be collected or the water treated.
The cost to property owners as proposed to City Council would be approximately $6 per single family residence. The storm water utility fee will be included in residents’ water utility bills.
As Councilor Wayne Waldack recommended, the storm water runoff fees will be itemized on the water bill along with other fees on bills.
The rate system as proposed by the city would assign a single family house to one runoff unit, called an ERU. The proposed rate would be $6 per ERU each month. So single family home owners would pay $6 per month. Condo units would pay 5.23 percent of an ERU, so about $.31 per month and commercial properties which have storm water retaining systems would pay half an ERU per month times the total square feet of impervious area divided by 4,250 square feet.
Impervious area as defined in the proposed ordinance as any part of any property that “has been modified to reduce the property’s natural ability to absorb and hold rainfall, including but not limited to, areas covered by roofs, roof extensions, swimming pools, patios, porches, driveways, sidewalks, parking areas and athletic courts.”
Commercial properties that do not have on-site retention will be charged twice as much.
Forcht said another option outside of the proposed ordinance may be to “divide the city into districts again and charge according to the cost to install upgraded, wider pipes into each district that needs them.
Some districts currently require more work than others, he added.
Following the heavy rains earlier this month, city officials said the Northern portions of the island do not have the wider, upgraded pipes and are in need of the most capital investment.
Other items on the City Council agenda include:
– A resolution for the dedication of a City Hall conference room to Greg Niles, the former Community Development Director who died last month.
– The city’s report on their 2008 Annual Level of Service.
– A resolution for a community Development Block Grant for sidewalks at Marco Lake.
– A resolution for two bank lines of credit from Bank of America which total $22.5 million for the Septic Tank Replacement Program.
– A resolution for the city to sell an easement on Bald Eagle Drive to Lee County Electric Cooperative to install power poles. The $750,000 sale would be used for an eight-foot shared use path.
Comments
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Let's go with a flat rate on water. Let's say a dollar a swallar. That way we could get money when it's discharged also. You know ...something like a "pee fee".
#1 Posted by hourigan82247 on August 1, 2008 at 4:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why do the condos/hotels get it so cheap? It would seem that they contribute the most storm water to our streets. Condo/Hotel and mall roof surfaces, parking lots and large tiled surfaces of pool areas surely contribute more storm water drainage to our streets and storm water drainage system then any private home does. Sell your house and get a condo or time share is the message I am beginning to hear.
#2 Posted by Fossil on August 1, 2008 at 7:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This city government is a complete embarrassment!
Ok, all of you who voted for Waldack, Gibson, Recker and Trotter raise your hand.....
These are the same people who will be voting for Obama...sheep, mindless sheep.
#3 Posted by gernblanstone on August 1, 2008 at 9:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Condo owners are getting it cheaper because that's what Arceri promised them if they voted for his people and you did.
#4 Posted by dc5799 on August 2, 2008 at 8:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Lets see--more on water bill, and more on
annual fire service assessment.
Do all the condo's at Mariott etc. pay per each unit also ?
Hourigan said " pee for fee". the Fire Assessment could be called " assess and suppress"
#5 Posted by esplanade2 on August 2, 2008 at 10:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Guess you feel pretty silly not cutting a deal for yourself don't you DC5799. To the victor goes the spoils,
#6 Posted by OldMarcoMan on August 3, 2008 at 10:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't feel silly nor was I looking for a deal. I just wanted honest, above board men to sit on council. They promised but they don't deliver. All the sneaky meetings with condo assoc.email addresses given out by city hall.
So Old Man I am proud I voted for Joe,Butch,Roger and Dr. Guidry. No one scared or threatened me into voting for the present members
#7 Posted by dc5799 on August 3, 2008 at 11:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Our City is going to price all of us out! We have a new water fee, and now a new fire assessment fee in the works, bridge fees, increased water fees, increased water bills, assessments for sewers..etc, etc, oh.. and the electrical company now they want to buy!!for a profit making machine to be used to suck more money from you! WAKE UP MARCO.. our city is ran as a business FOR A PROFIT!! IT IS COMMING OUT OF OUR POCKETS,it was nickle and dimes and now we are talking big dollars! If you keep voting in the incompetent councils that you do,we will all be moving off the island. Very few will be able to remain here! WAKE UP. If you care about Marco- put some responsible individuals that care about your pockets.. not city profit in office to represent you.
#8 Posted by 25yearsonmarco on August 3, 2008 at 4:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree with Fossil on the explanation, but that is why each individual condo is assessed less. As a building, 20 condos equals one house. 100 condos equals 5 houses. Is that fair ?? We need to study sqaure footages to determine this. We should request the studies and figures from the City to see if this is fair.
Ed Issler
#9 Posted by lauralbi1 on August 3, 2008 at 7:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The condos control the council and the city. The condos will continue to get preferred rates for all services the city profides including the new electric company at the expense of the single family homeowners. There isn't any government agency that the citizens can turn to to protest the unfair rates that the council establishes. The current slate was elected to protect the water rates and add the new preferred electric rates the council will implement at our expense.
The current ad hoc committee is being established so that the city can claim that they don't have to go for a voter approved referrendum since the citizen's committee recomended acquiriung LCEC.
Arceri withdrew from the committee and installed Gibson as his shill so he can organize the whole process without being hampered by the sunshine laws.
John Areceri is the pied piper of Marco taking the residents over the cliff for the benefit of the resorts and the Cony Isand of the future.
#10 Posted by marcoobserver on August 4, 2008 at 4:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I love how the City Council uses words like "May increase" or "Proposed fee" when associated with taxes and our city water. As if there is a chance that the council will not accept the increase in cost to the citizens of this island. It is joke.
25yearsonmarco is exactly right -- at some point it is going to get so expensive to live here that it will either price everyone out (or price out any potential buyers for those who choose to move). Good job council!
#11 Posted by Rachael on August 5, 2008 at 9:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
i would ask if the new collier project near the jolly bridge included the drains when it was torn up. if it was included and the pipes are new why didnt it work? high tide? well we cant control when it will rain so why waste the money to "improve" any more pipes. it always drains off shortly after any storm so leave it alone. torrential rains of that duration and magnitude are rare.
#12 Posted by islandman4now on August 5, 2008 at 3:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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