The Champaign City Council received an update on the stormwater utility fee expenditure plan during their study session on Tuesday night.
Stormwater is runoff that comes from rainfall. Every property in a watershed contributes to runoff, and a stormwater fee would help support the operation, maintenance and rehabilitation of the stormwater transport system.
Champaign has had a history of flooding issues that city manager Steve Carter said can be attributed to the developmental standards of when the city was created.
“I’m not sure we had many significant drainage projects before 1980,” Carter said. “The city is 150 years old, and we’ve been working to improve it for about 30 years.”
The city has been involved in many watershed projects during the last 30 years, however, it has run out of funding to complete any additional improvements for the next 20 years. Revenue generated from a stormwater fee would provide funding for stormwater drainage improvement.
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Michael LaDue, council member District 2, said that it would be a disservice to the citizens and inequitable to not continue improving the city’s drainage issues.
“It is amazing that we did these projects during a deep recession, and we can’t stop and rest on our laurels,” said LaDue.
The amount of support a property contributes will be based on the amount of runoff the property contributes to the stormwater drainage system. For a single-family property, city staff estimates the annual stormwater fee to be between $60 and $85.
Marci Dodds, council member District 4, said she looks at the fee as an investment in the city.
“We are investing to reduce flooding, insurance rates, increase property values, keeping our stormwater and sewer system separate and making an investment to our citizens,” Dodds said.
Dodds and Deborah Frank Feinen, council member at-large, also stressed the importance of these projects being a partnership between the community and city staff.
The stormwater committee has also been working on the fee to work with incentives. Tom Bruno, council member at-large, was very supportive of this plan.
“The fee can be a leverage item to get people to behave in the community,” Bruno said.
City staff expects to present a completed plan to the council during the fall.
