2007-10-02 - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 Mr. Lynch asked how much of stormwater is fixed cost and how much is variable. He said if we tell people they will have a fee we need to tell them how they can reduce the fee. He said there is an administrative cost to that. Ms. Hamilton said the point is what are we going to do about sewers that are falling apart. Ms. Riddervold said there is also the added expense of increased regulatory requirements. Mr. Norris asked what the argument is against a flat fee, and asked if fees could be tiered. He said an advantage to a flat fee is there would be no need to spend money on administration. Ms. Riddervold said that a flat fee does not relate to the contribution to the problem. Mr. Lynch said he does not think a fee accomplishes that much. Dr. Brown said it provides a dedicated revenue source. He said the issue is do we programmatically plan to address these issues or erratically address them. He said he thinks the issues are important enough to create a stable funding source. Mr. Taliaferro said if we do not do it now, down the road we will have to make big changes, especially with new regulations. Mr. Norris said we do not know the competing costs yet in the budget, but he expects it will be more difficult to find funds. He said he supports option 3 with an expanded property owner incentive program. Ms. Hamilton said that educated, affluent people are more likely to participate in an incentive program. She said it will take a big effort to involve low income residents. Mr. Norris said the vast number of incentives apply to commercial property owners. Dr. Brown noted that the costs are also higher for commercial property owners to pay. Mr. Norris said he is okay with a fee if we start smaller. Mr. Lynch said he would favor a fee if we start smaller, such as $20 total a year for residential properties.