Ready for a new $100 fee in Manatee County? Officials discuss new stormwater rate
A new stormwater fee could add an average of $150 to the annual tax bill for property owners in unincorporated Manatee County.
The Board of County Commissioners is expected to implement the stormwater fee later this year, but during a discussion with county staff Tuesday afternoon, officials did not agree on what that rate should be.
The fee would go toward a host of projects that should reduce flooding and improve water quality throughout the county. Some of those activities include pond spraying, street sweeping and clearing out clogged drainage pipes.
The resolution that allows the county to charge a fee for stormwater maintenance has been in place since 1991, but previous boards have not voted to adopt a rate for that fee. In a series of public meeting, board members have heard from the Public Works Department about how the new rate would benefit the county.
Before Tuesday, however, the board had not heard suggested monetary figures for the fee in Manatee County. The recommendation from Public Works Director Chad Butzow was too high for some commissioners.
Working with HDR Inc., an engineering firm, the county came up with a calculation to charge the rate based on the amount of impervious surface area that exists on a single property.
“We came up with a proper way to measure impervious area and come up with an equitable way to deal with stormwater,” Butzow said.
The countywide study compiled the total impervious square feet and came up with a number called the equivalent residential unit (ERU) that will serve as the base charge for residences, depending on how much impervious space they own.
Butzow asked the board to make a determination on whether they wanted the stormwater fee to function at the same level of service that the county operates at now, or if they wanted to charge a bit more money to have maintenance crews clean up about twice as fast as they already do.
Most homes in unincorporated Manatee County would be charged about $100 a year, if the county decides to match current levels of service. Enhanced levels would see most residents charged about $150. It’s a difference of $17.4 million or $25.4 million for the stormwater program that is currently funded by a collection of solid waste fees, property taxes, phosphate taxes and gas taxes.
Commissioner Carol Whitmore spoke in favor of the higher rate, citing the need for more attention to stormwater system than the county has provided before.
“I totally support the enhanced level of service,” she said. “Maintaining is what we do now, but we need to do more. Our citizens have demanded that we do something and it can’t be the status quo.”
“I say yes, let’s go forward, but I really think the devil is in the details,” said Commissioner Betsy Benac, who suggested a better job of maintenance and a bigger focus on studying water quality.
Other commissioners were more hesitant to accept either rate, and argued both were too high to start out with so suddenly.
“No one has pushed for better ditch drainage than I have, but I don’t know that I can start at that high of a rate,” Commissioner Priscilla Whisenant Trace said.
“The county is in great shape financially right now and it’s going to be a hard sell to hit (residents) with this tax,” Commissioner Vanessa Baugh added.
Commissioners did not finalize which rate they will end up levying, but they will hear from county staff again at a meeting on Sept. 24. Even then, the board will not vote on the fee until county staff have engaged the public with a 60-day informational campaign that features public meeting, social media outreach and other marketing tools.
This story was originally published September 18, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
