DeLand’s stormwater rates may increase to pay for improvements

BEACON FILE PHOTO
Stormwater — The intersection of South Florida and New York avenues is completely flooded after heavy rain March 31. The problem DeLand faces is how to get stormwater pumped out of a flooded area fast enough. The solution is to build new infrastructure, at a cost of about $85 per dwelling unit.

By Jen Horton
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Jul 12, 2009 - 1:39:22pm

The City of DeLand may raise stormwater rates Nov. 1 to pay for stormwater-improvement projects.

Consultants from Government Services Group out of Tallahassee advised city commissioners that in order to complete the necessary improvements, the city would have to raise rates.

City Manager Michael Pleus talked about the current problems with DeLand’s stormwater systems.

“As with [Tropical Storm] Fay and the storms in May ... the biggest problem is trying to get the water out of there fast enough,” Pleus said.

Mayor Robert Apgar said he noticed the problem of stormwater flooding in Downtown becoming a bigger issue in the past eight-10 years, and that as a kid he didn’t remember Downtown flooding as it does now.

“It boggles my mind,” Apgar said.

The commission was given a list of seven capital-improvement projects the Public Works Department had prioritized, as well as the costs of general stormwater maintenance and operation.

The suggested stormwater-rate increases needed to cover the list of projects ranged between $69 per year and $114 per year.

The rates are based on how much ground space a building takes up, or the building’s footprint.

So, if two homes have identical footprints, but one is a one-story building, and the other is a three-story building, both are considered the same when it comes to stormwater, because they cover the same amount of ground.

Stormwater assessments are based on the amount of impervious land on a piece of property.

In the city, 1 Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU) is 3,100 square feet of impervious area. That includes a home with a footprint of about 2,183 square feet.

Owners of smaller homes will actually pay less than they do now, because the footprint of a small home will be less than 1 EDU.

City Commissioner Phil Martin was impressed with the new calculations.

“I can’t believe this EDU methodology,” he said. “It’s much better than what we had.”

Newer subdivisions may be charged for fewer EDUs if they can qualify for mitigation. If a home, business, subdivision or any other building provides retention ponds or stormwater pumps, or takes other measures to reduce its impact on flooding, it’s given a mitigation credit.

Mayor Apgar explained that much of DeLand was built before stormwater regulations were in place, but newer portions of DeLand, such as Victoria Park, were built with stormwater accommodations. The same is true of local businesses.

“The Downtown corridor doesn’t have a lot of retention ponds,” Apgar pointed out. “Newer shopping does.”

If the rate structure is approved, smaller homes will see a reduction in stormwater fees, mid-size homes will see a small increase, large homes will see a bigger increase, and nonresidential buildings will see the largest increase in stormwater rates.

The commission asked staff to being back a plan that would get as many projects done as possible for $85 per year per EDU.

The first reading will tentatively be July 20. If the city adopts the ordinance to increase the rates, it will go into effect Nov. 1. The fees will be mailed as a separate bill to the property owner.

— jen@beacononlinenews.com

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