sr-072710-9aCity Council Meeting: July 27, 2010
Agenda Item: °I-
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Dean Kubani, Director, Office of Sustainability and the Environment
Subject: Public Hearing and Approval of the Stormwater Parcel Reports and
Stormwater Management User Fees for Fiscal Year 2010-11
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the 2010 Stormwater Parcel Reports
pursuant to the California Health and Safety Code, and Stormwater Management User
Fees for Fiscal Year 2010-11.
Executive Summary
Each year, the City of Santa Monica produces two stormwater parcel fee reports listing
each property and the amount of the stormwater fees to be paid by each property
owner. This information must be submitted by August 10 of each year to the County of
Los Angeles Tax Assessor so that these fees can be incorporated into the County
parcel tax bill, enabling the City to receive its stormwater fees in the coming fiscal year.
These fees support the City's Urban Runoff Management Program. The Council has
taken this. action annually beginning in 1995.
The Stormwater Management User Fee and the Clean Beaches and Oceans Parcel
Tax generate approximately $3.9 million annually, which are critical to the City's
ongoing urban runoff management program and enable the City to meet the many
Federal and State water quality regulations, as well as support the City's Watershed
Management Plan and the Sustainable City Plan. No budget impacts are associated
with taking this recommended action.
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Background
Stormwater Management User Fee
In July 1995, City Council adopted an ordinance establishing the Stormwater Enterprise
Fund, which includes Stormwater Management User Fee proceeds that fund
Stormwater management activities. The Los Angeles County Tax Auditor-Controller's
Office is responsible for the collection of the annual fee, which is then forwarded to the
City.
The Stormwater management program consists of (1) periodic upgrades to the storm
drain system, (2) enforcement of local, State and Federal stormwater regulations, such
as the City's Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Ordinance (SMMC 7.10) and the Los
Angeles County National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, (3)
the implementation of the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Plan, and (4) a variety of cost-
effective programs, such as Best Management Practices (BMPs), aimed at reducing the
volume and pollutant load of urban runoff flowing into Santa Monica Bay.
Clean Beaches and Ocean Parcel Tax
The Clean Beaches and Ocean Parcel Tax (Measure V) was passed by 67% of Santa
Monica voters in November 2006 for the purpose of implementing the City's Watershed
Management Plan (Plan). The goals of the Plan are to reduce urban runoff pollution;
reduce urban flooding; increase water reuse and conservation; increase. recreational
opportunities and open space; and increase wildlife and marine habitat. Revenues
generated by Measure V can be used for operations and maintenance costs related to
storm drainage systems, and multipurpose capital improvement projects that improve
the quality of urban runoff, as well as paying for any indebtedness incurred for these
purposes. The urban runoff management and pollution prevention activities of the Plan
will assist the City in complying with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) permit requirements, meeting the goals of the Clean Water Act, and
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new regulations promulgated by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board
relating to Total Maximum Daily Loadings.
Discussion
The Stormwater Parcel Reports list all privately-owned parcels with their associated
fees. The City must submit these reports to the Los Angeles County Auditor-
Controller's Office by August 10, 2010, for inclusion on the 2010-11 tax rolls.. A public
hearing and Council approval are required prior to submittal for billing. Notification
regarding a public hearing was published in the Santa Monica Daily Press on July 10,
17 and 24, 2010. The 2010-11 Parcel Report is also available for public review at the
City Clerk's Office and City libraries.
The Stormwater Parcel Reports are based on the most accurate parcel database
available for calculating the number of Parcel Billing Units (PBU), used for the
Stormwater Management User fee, and the Basic Tax (BT), used for the Clean Beaches
and Ocean Parcel tax. The number of PBUs and the BTs are calculated based on land
use, runoff factor and parcel size, which are directly proportional to the amount of runoff
generated by a given parcel. The proposed 2010-11 Stormwater Management User Fee
is $36 per PBU, which is the same as the current year's rate. The proposed 2010-11
Clean Beaches and Ocean Parcel Tax is $89.85 per BT, which is an increase of 2.27%
from previous year due to the Consumer Price Index increase for the period February
2009 -January 2010.
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Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The total revenue estimate from the proposed fees for Fiscal Year 2010-11 is
approximately $1.2 million to the Stormwater Management Fund and $2.7 million to the
Clean Beaches and Ocean Parcel Tax Fund for a total of $3:9 million. The revenues
are included in the Adopted Budget.
Prepared by: Neal Shapiro, Watershed Management Coordinator
Approved:
Dean Kubani, Director
Office of Sustainability and the
Environment
Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould
City Manager
Attachment: Stormwater Parcel Reports
(A hardcopy of the documents are available for public review in the City
Clerks' office and all City libraries)
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