Page 14 - Nov-Dec2017 Vol35 No5

2017 CONFERENCE TECHNICAL SESSION TENNESSEE
Funding Your Stormwater Program:
When is a Stormwater Utility Right for You?
Throughout the past decade, the
attention paid to stormwater and water
quality issues has dramatically increased.
Ever-expanding regulations such as the
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System requirements as well as Total
Maximum Daily Loads have significantly
expanded the scope of local stormwater
management programs. In addition,
aging infrastructure continues to be
a drain on local governments’ capital
improvement budgets. In parallel, the
economic downturn of the past several
years has increased the competition
within cities for limited general fund
dollars. As a result, the option of
implementing a sustainable, stormwater
utility funding mechanism continues to
grow in popularity. According to annual
studies performed by Western Kentucky
University 1, the number of stormwater
utilities nationally has grown from
approximately 800 in 2007 to nearly
2,000 in 2013. So, the question becomes:
“When is a Stormwater Utility right for
you?”
Assessing the Need
Many communities make the mistake
of jumping into the stormwater utility
discussion by talking about potential
fees and revenues. You may hear
statements such as “it’s only $3” or “we
can generate X amount of money with
it.” However, what a community really
needs to be discussing first is the needs
of the community, asking questions
such as “what are our needs, both today
Like this old shoe, even if the price is “only $3,”
you can’t sell it to the public if they don’t like what program. It is only after these steps that is an evaluation of the steps for
they’re getting. Assess your program and under-
stand its benefits (or lack thereof) before trying to
pursue a stormwater utility.
14 TPW November/December 2017
and in the future?” and “what benefits
will meeting these needs provide our
customer base?” If you can’t answer
those questions, it is very difficult to
sell the concept of a new fee to your
administration, to elected officials and
ultimately to the public.
Therefore, the first step in the process the most effective approach for gaining
of evaluating your readiness for a
stormwater utility should be determining
the true cost and level of service of your •
program. Many smaller communities
without a stormwater utility likely do
not have a line item in the annual budget
that summarizes the cost of service,
as stormwater services are typically
provided across numerous departments
and by staff that have multiple roles in
the organization. Thus, some legwork
is required to understand where the
various stormwater costs reside in the
budget. This effort can be performed by
internal staff with support from their
finance department or through outside
consulting services.
Once the cost of the program is
determined, the next step is to perform
a pragmatic assessment of the level of
service being provided to customers for
that cost. The level of service assessment will let you know whether the political
should include the identification of what
services you are providing today and the
benefits (or lack thereof) to customers.
Next, the community should consider
how they might increase that level of
service to meet customer expectations,
the cost of those new or expanded
services and additional benefits
customers might receive from the
the potential funding by a stormwater
utility should be considered. In general,
customers will embrace the fee only if
they want the service it will provide.
Engaging the Public in the
Conversation
Once your level of service and cost of
service is clearly understood, the next
thing you should consider is how much
support you can garner from the public
for a new fee program. Public input
can be gathered in a variety of ways,
By David Mason P.E., D.WRE
Public stakeholder meetings are an excellent
method for gauging public support for your program.
such as through public meetings, public
opinion surveys, or a facilitated public
stakeholder process. While it may take
longer to execute, experience has shown
that the public stakeholder process is
support for the program. The process
offers several benefits, including:
Feedback is immediate.
• The message is tested in a small group
before distribution at large.
• Once consensus is reached,
stakeholders can become advocates/
champions.
If a stakeholder process is your chosen
approach, there are several things you
should consider. First, make sure the
group you invite includes both your
friends and your “enemies.” While your
friends will provide a lot of positive
feedback and support for your program,
your “enemies” can reveal important
program deficiencies or concerns
that should be addressed within your
plan going forward. Also, gaining an
understanding of your opponents’ issues
will exists to move forward with a fee
proposal.
Understanding the Hurdles to
Implementation
One of the last things you’ll want
to do in assessing the feasibility
of a stormwater utility program
implementation. It would be a shame
to proceed to a point where you
have proposed a program without