05-21-90 v M NUfl S OF THE WORKSHOP MEETING OF ATIANTIC BEACH CITY commissioN HEED
AT CITY HALL ON MONDAY, MAY 21, 1990 AT 7-15 PM
The meeting was held for the purpose of hearing a presentation by James
Scholl of CH2M Hill on the proposed Stormwater Management Utility
Program.
Present were the Mayor and Commissioners Cook,- Edwards, Tucker and
Weldon. Also present were City Manager Leinbach and City Clerk King.
The Mayor called the meeting to order and before introducing Mr. Scholl,
informed the Commission of a parking problem at the Island Club
Condominium. He said there were two parking spaces for each condominium
unit and four additional spaces for public parking. However, because of
the close proximity to the beach, the public was using the condominium
narking area and residents were having difficulty finding places to
park, especially on the weekends. The Mayor inquired whether the
parking area used by the condominium was public or private property.
Commissioner Tucker said this subject had comp up before and she had
researched the matter and found the area was a public street.
The City Manager was instructed to investigate any options which may be
available, including the possibility of leasing that part of the
right--of--way to the property owners on a annually renewable basis, and
report back at the Commission meeting on May 29, 1990.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
James Scholl of CH2M Hill confirmed that each of the Commissioners had
received a draft report. He said all developed property generated
run-off and this run--off necessitated the development of a stormwater
management program. Charges would be calculated in accordance with a
billing formula. The city needed to identify its needs, determine its
ability to handle a disaster situation, and establish a fair and
reliable funding source to accomplish those needs.
Regarding funding for the program, Mr. Scholl said it would be their
recommendation that all developed property, including tax exempt
properties (city property, churches, schools, etc.) should be included,
but that undeveloped property should not be included at this time.
Considerable discussion ensued regarding the billing procedure,
particularly multi-unit apartment complexes. It was felt the billing
procedure needed to be kept as simple as possible in order to minimize
the amount of tracking of tenants in and out. The Mayor suggested
billing the owners of apartment buildings and condominiums for the total
impervious area and allow them to pass the charge on to the tenants as
they see fit. Finance Director Royal said if the billing was included
on water bills, the city would have some leverage with respect to
payment of bills. Discussion also ensued regarding vacant properties
and whether closing attorneys could be made aware of any outstanding
balances when they request lien letters from the city. Once the master
plan is in place, Mr. Scholl said the city could consider granting
credits for retention ponds or similar systems which would prevent
run-off.
Page Two
Minutes of Workshop Meeting
May 21, 1990
In discussions regarding billing, Mr. Scholl said the city could have an
an initial billing to generate revenue stream as quickly as possible.
This revenue could then be used to develop a complete data base based on
actual impervious areas for each property.
Based on information from the Property Appraiser's office, an Equivalent
Residential Runoff Unit (ERU) had been estimated at 1,790 sq. ft. Using
similar data, multi-family units would be charged at 0.6 ERU. Billing
units for commercial properties would also be based on the number of
ERU's. Mr. Scholl said if the city so desired, while data available
from the Property Appraiser may not be as precise as other sources,
billing calculations could be made from that data alone.
Mr. Scholl presented a preliminary budget for 1990-1994. It was noted
that the program would be considerably subsidized by the general fund
and discussion ensued regarding the proposed rate of $3.00 per ERU and
revisions which could be made in capital and operating costs in order to
make the program self-supporting. He pointed out it would be necessary
to have a master drainage plan and a good topographical map and mapping
costs had been dispersed over a three year period.
Mayor Gulliford pointed out the $89,000 had already been allocated for
the year 1990 but subsequent years should be reviewed. The Mayor also
inquired whether the federal government had established an implemen-
tation schedule for stormwater management programs and Mr. Scholl said
it could be a requirement by 1992, but a final ruling is due on July 20
this year.
Mr. Scholl said, with the Commission's concurrence, they would draft an
ordinance to establish the program. The city would need to decide if it
wished to implement an initial rate structure. The billing data could
•
be prepared and bills could then be sent out when the ordinance is
passed. However, the schedule could be at the convenience of the City
Commission but he felt the October billing would be a realistic goal.
Commissioner Weldon said since the city has had a substantial tax
increase this year, it would be his wish that collection of revenues
could be postponed until next year.
The City Manager said the most urgent decisions the City Commission
needed to make were whether to proceed with the program, and if so, at
what speed? The Mayor said a decision also needed to be made regarding
whether it should be subsidized by the general fund. He said one of the
most important benefits would be the development of the master drainage
plan which would be a useful tool in accomplishing concurrency with the
requirements of the comprehensive plan.
CH2M Hill was directed to draft an ordinance establishing the plan and
to check further into how other cities handled the billing for
properties Page Three
Minutes of Workshop Meeting
May 21, 1990
properties where ownership was being transferred. Mr. Scholl said they
would prepare two ordinances, one establishing the utility and the other
setting the rate. The rate could then be adjusted each year in
accordance with a review and audit of the budget.
The City Manager was directed to review the budget and suggest any other
options he felt appropriate, including any services he felt the city
might contract out.
There being no further discussion, the Mayor declared the meeting
adjourned at 8:40 PM.
T-2WOAL24-/Li7-3Maureen King, y Cleitk