- Elizabeth Larson
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Lakeport City Council approves stormwater drainage tax increase
The tax is only paid once, similar to building fees, and will now go from $0.10 cents per square foot to $0.20 cents per square foot, the maximum amount allowed under a measure approved by city voters in 1980.
For the amount to increase more, city officials said voters would need to approve a ballot measure with a two-thirds majority, said City Attorney David Ruderman.
The last time there was an increase was 37 years ago, staff reported.
When asked by Lake County News why so much time had passed since the tax was raised, Community Development Director Jenni Byers said there is now a different level of scrutiny from the state, which brought to light that so much time had passed since the last increase.
“It’s pretty heavy what our requirements now are,” Byers said.
Public Works Superintendent Ron Ladd presented the resolution to increase the storm drainage tax to the council.
He explained that in January 1980 the council adopted an ordinance establishing a special tax on new construction and related impermeable surfaces — such as driveways — to fund flood control and storm drainage improvements.
In measures that went on the ballot later that year and in 1984, voters gave approval to the tax, allowing the council to set it at between $0.01 and $0.20 per square foot rather than a fixed rate of $0.20 per square foot.
In May 1984 the City Council set the rate at $0.10 per square foot and it hasn’t been raised since, Ladd said.
In 2003, the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport, and the county of Lake adopted the Lake County Stormwater Management Plan as required by the Federal Clean Water Act and the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System, Ladd said.
In 2006 the city of Lakeport adopted an ordinance establishing stormwater management regulations to protect and enhance the water quality of water courses and water bodies within the city in compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act. Ladd said those regulations seek to reduce pollutants in stormwater discharges to the maximum extent practicable and by prohibiting non-stormwater discharges.
He said jurisdictions are required to maintain, implement and enforce an effective stormwater management plan which is designed to reduce the discharge of pollutants into local watersheds and to enhance water quality.
Funds generated by the collection of storm drainage tax revenues are deposited in a specific budget account used for public storm drainage system improvements and related stormwater management plan activities in the city, Ladd said.
He said the increase in the tax was needed to fund public storm drainage improvements needed to comply with current and future Clean Water mandates from the state and federal governments.
City Manager Kevin Ingram said a recently completed study on Forbes Creek shows a need for a dramatic number of storm drainage improvement projects.
The stormwater drainage tax measure is “a small measure,” he said, and certainly isn’t going to come close to covering the $40 million in capital expenditure projects in the Forbes Creek area alone.
Ingram said the city spends more out of the general fund on stormwater projects than it collects in taxes.
Councilman Michael Green, who said he would love to see a higher tax, moved to approve increasing the tax, with Councilman Kenny Parlet seconding and the council voting 4-0. Mayor Stacey Mattina was absent.
The stormwater drainage tax turned out to be the main item on Tuesday night’s agenda.
The council had been set to consider awarding a $4.3 million contract for construction services on the new Lakefront Park to Builder Solutions Inc., but Ingram asked to pull the time after receiving a protest from the other bidder. After that protest is considered, it will be brought back to the council.
The public portion of the meeting ended after about 45 minutes with the council going into closed session for labor negotiations with the Lakeport Police Officers Association. Mayor Pro Tem Mireya Turner emerged shortly before 7:30 p.m. to say no action had been taken.
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