After tabling a proposal to impose a stormwater fee early last month, Winder city officials met Thursday to discuss ways in which the unpopular measure could be implemented.
The 90 minute meeting generated more questions than answers, but council members unanimously agreed the city had to determine some way of funding needed stormwater system maintenance and improvements.
The mid-morning public hearing, in which media outnumbered citizens, was the first scheduled meeting of the city’s stormwater committee.
The committee, chaired by councilman Ridley Parrish, has been tasked with reviewing the stormwater issue and presenting a recommended course of action to the full city council.
Citing recent flooding within the city, Parrish said it was imperative the city take action.
“We didn’t realize just how much we needed to address this stormwater issue,” he said. Last year, the City of Winder spent approximately $360,000 for storm sewer repairs and maintenance. This year’s budget includes an additional $400,000 in stormwater related expenditures.
“The city just doesn’t have that kind of money,” Parrish said.
While acknowledging the stormwater fee was unpopular with citizens, Parrish said the committee needed to examine ways to raise money whether it come from a tax on impervious surfaces or a tiered fee.
“Everything’s on the table,” Parrish said.
Parrish said he and fellow council members have been “good stewards” of the taxpayer’s money, but were now faced with tough choices.
“Things look considerably different when you’re out there as a constituent as opposed to when you’re making the decisions,” he said. “You need to have the whole picture of what is going on fiscally in your municipality in order to make a viable decision.”
MANDATED OR NOT?
One of the issues raised during the Sept. 2 meeting was the question of whether or not the repairs and improvements to be funded by the proposed stormwater utility fee are actually mandated by the federal or state government.
Herb Feldman of H.S. Feldman Inc., a consulting firm hired by the city, said Winder is not currently subject to federal mandates but must comply with existing guidelines.
The guidelines, outlined in the city’s Watershed Protection Plan, require that the city meet certain standards for stormwater management or face fines and penalties.
Though no specific project list is detailed in the guidelines, Feldman said the city is responsible for ensuring that water quality standards are met and doing whatever repairs or improvements are necessary to do so.
Feldman warned that the recently completed census could show that Winder’s population density makes the city subject to the more stringent Environmental Protection Division stormwater program.
“The Boy Scouts say be prepared,” Feldman said. “What you’re doing now gives you the tools to keep your costs down now but be ready to move forward when you have to.”
BUSINESSES AND THE ‘LITTLE PERSON’
An overriding concern in Thursday’s discussion was the impact any proposed fee would have on local businesses.
Though business leaders turned out in force at the Aug. 3 council meeting to protest the stormwater proposal, only one business owner — Brad Akins — was present at the public hearing.
Akins expressed concern that officials were more focused on taking action than identifying the root problem.
“I hear decisions made out of fear rather than responsibility,” he said.
Akins implored council members to present a focused plan so that citizens can see where their tax dollars will be spent.
Councilman David Maynard also asked for a detailed project list after questioning how city leaders could impose a tax without knowing how much money was needed.
Maynard said he was concerned that implementing a new fee or tax in the current economic environment could stifle business.
According to Maynard, his constituents have overwhelmingly opposed any new taxes.
“What I hear all day long is ‘don’t raise any taxes, don’t raise any fees even if you got to cut services. We can’t stand anymore’,” he said. “We can get to a point with tap fees and stormwater taxes where we restrain business to the degree that we get less revenue.”
Other council members expressed a desire to implement a rate structure that would avoid placing an undue burden on individual citizens.
Parrish said the new water rates show the council is capable of creating a plan that will protect the “little person.”
“What I’m hearing from the council here is that we are trying to minimize — and I hope we can continue to head in that direction — the impact on the little person and businesses because they’re really hit hard,” Parrish said.
UP NEXT
Over the next two weeks, committee members plan to research the issue further and examine how other municipalities have implemented similar fees.
Though no firm decisions were made at Thursday’s meeting, Parrish thanked those in attendance for bringing ideas to the table.
“I think we’ve done about as much good today as we can do,” Parrish said at the meeting.
The next public hearing of the Winder stormwater committee is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 23 at 10 a.m. at the Winder Community Center. The meeting is open to the public.
