New Cedar Rapids stormwater fee schedule will reduce runoff and pay for needed repairs

Next month, the Cedar Rapids City Council will consider a fundamental change in the way the city collects fees from property owners to pay for its stormwater utility. That's the massive system of storm sewers and other related infrastructure that handles water runoff.

For 95 percent of property owners, according to the city, the change will mean a reduction or perhaps a modest increase in stormwater fees. But for a smaller number of large property owners, the change will boost fees by thousands and tens of thousands of dollars annually.

That's a significant increase, but the city has made both a compelling case for the new fee structure and a good-faith effort to collaborate with those most affected by the proposed change. In the end, city officials have produced a plan that mitigates the negative effects on large property owners while advancing the critical goals of reducing runoff and raising much-needed funds to repair and expand our aging stormwater system.

It's an effort we believe the City Council should endorse April 12, the date now set for a public hearing on the plan and a first council vote.

'It is clear that the city needs to do more to mitigate localized flooding. A large proportion of these future efforts will be funded by the stormwater utility,” Sandy Pumphrey, a city project engineer, wrote in a report this month to the council's Infrastructure Committee. 'Therefore, a fee structure that better incentivizes the reduction of runoff and increase in stormwater infiltration is necessary.”

Destructive urban flash flooding in June 2014 prompted the city to take a hard look at its stormwater system. What it found is a $50 million list of backlogged but needed repairs and upgrades. The additional $1.5 million a new fee structure is expected to raise each year once fully implemented will go toward those capital projects, Pumphrey said. That's in addition to the current $1 million to $2 million spent on those projects annually.

At the heart of the proposal is a change that makes perfect sense, namely charging a stormwater fee based on the amount of impermeable surfaces present on a property. Those are the surfaces that carry water into the stormwater system.

It's a far more equitable arrangement than the current structure, which charges tiered fees based on the total size of a property. Under that system, a property with no pavement could be charged the same fee as a parking lot.

The new fee will be based on Equivalent Residential Units, or ERUs. One ERU is the average impermeable surface present on a single residential lot and carries a fee of just over $62 annually, roughly the same as the current residential fee. A large lot with 75 ERUs would pay more than $46,500 annually, far above the current maximum fee of $3,133.

A large increase, certainly. But, faced with opposition, the city has agreed to phase in the change for large properties over the next five years. Even when fully implemented, Cedar Rapids' top stormwater fees still will be lower than fees charged in Dubuque, Iowa City and Des Moines.

The higher fees also will provide an opportunity for the city to offer a series of incentives cutting stormwater charges for property owners who take steps to reduce or hold more runoff. Taking steps to reduce runoff quantity and improve water quality can shave up to 40 percent from a stormwater bill. A property that produces zero discharge from what the city calls a 24-hour, 100-year storm can receive a 75 percent fee discount.

The city also created an education credit for property owners who institute training and education programs for employees or students, provide service learning opportunities or collaborate with local watershed organizations. Non-profit property owners, such as school districts or Kirkwood Community College, could receive an education credit of up to 50 percent, with up to 25 percent for for-profit entities. The credit must be renewed annually.

Council member Scott Olson said the five-year phase-in and education credit have largely mitigated opposition to the new fee structure.

In addition to approving new fees, we'd like to see the council call for the creation of some system of evaluation and testing to make sure that the proposed structure and incentives are providing measurable benefits. Pumphrey said the city will seek to use runoff data to measure potential reductions. That's a good start.

We'd also like to see the education credit periodically re-evaluated to make sure education efforts that receive a public incentive also are producing a public benefit. Education is a good goal, but runoff reduction is the main objective.

Overall, we see this as a major piece of what is becoming a major effort by the city of Cedar Rapids to address runoff and its implications for flooding and water quality. As it crafted new stormwater fees, the city embarked on an effort to require builders and developers to submit soil management plans aimed at replacing topsoil or other water-soaking materials on finished building sites. That ordinance is expected to reach the council in June.

The city, thanks to a federal grant, is partnering with upstream farmers and landowners to reduce runoff flowing into the Cedar River. The city recently joined the Middle Cedar Watershed Management Authority, giving it a seat at the table as future runoff control and water quality efforts take shape.

Nearly eight years after the flood of 2008 and two years after dozens of homes were damaged by flash flooding, Cedar Rapids leaders are taking critical water issues seriously.

State lawmakers who have yet to make a serious effort toward improving Iowa's water quality should take note.

' This editorial is part of our 2016 editorial focus, Building blocks: Working together to make our communities great places to live. Share your comments and ideas with us: (319) 398-8469; editorial@thegazette.com