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City of City Council Report
Santa Monica.
City Council Meeting: July 24, 2012
Agenda Item: 9A
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 and Clean Beaches and Ocean
Parcel Taxes for Fiscal Year 2012 -13
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the 2012 Stormwater Parcel Reports
pursuant to the California Health and Safety Code, and Stormwater Management User
Fees and Clean Beaches and Ocean Parcel Taxes for Fiscal Year 2012 -13.
Executive Summary
Each year, the City of Santa Monica produces two stormwater parcel fee reports listing
each property in the city 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 Watershed 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 (Measure V) generate approximately $4 million annually, which are critical to the
City's ongoing watershed management program and enable the City to comply with
Federal and State water quality regulations, as well as support the City's Watershed
Management Plan and the Sustainable City Plan. Impacts of the recommended actions
are included in the FY2012 -13 revised budget.
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Background
Stormwater Management User Fee
On July 25, 1995, City Council adopted an ordinance establishing the Stormwater
Management User Fee to support 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:
• Periodic upgrades to the storm drain system,
• 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,
• Implementation of the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Plan,
• Strategies, such as Best Management Practices (BMPs), aimed at reducing the
volume and pollutant load of urban runoff flowing into Santa Monica Bay, and
• Operation and maintenance of the City's storm drain system and BMPs.
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. Watershed management and pollution prevention activities of the Plan assist
the City in complying with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) permit requirements, meeting the goals of the Clean Water Act, and new
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regulations promulgated by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board
relating to Total Maximum Daily Loads.
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, 2012, for inclusion on the 2012 -13 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 8,
15 and 22, 2012. The 2012 -13 Parcel Reports are also available for public review at the
City Clerk's Office and the City's Main Library.
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 2012 -13 Stormwater
Management User Fee is $36 per PBU, which is the same rate since the original 1995
rate was instituted; the Stormwater Management User Fee is fixed. This rate has no
annual Consumer Price Index adjustment. The proposed 2012 -13 Clean Beaches and
Ocean Parcel Tax is $93.57 per BT per parcel, which is an increase of 2.1% from the
previous year rate based upon the Consumer Price Index increase for the period
February 2011 — January 2012. This annual rate adjustment is set in section 7.64.040
(e) of the Clean Beaches and Ocean Parcel Tax Act.
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Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
The total revenue estimates from the proposed fees for Fiscal Year 2012 -13 are
approximately $1.2 million in the Stormwater Management Fund and $2.8 million in the
Clean Beaches and Ocean Parcel Tax Fund for a total of $4 million. Projected
revenues totaling $4 million for these fees and parcel taxes are included in the FY2012-
13 Adopted Budget.
Prepared by: Neal Shapiro, Watershed Management Coordinator
Approved:
Forwarded to Council:
Dean Kubani, Director Rod Gould
Office of Sustainability and the City Manager
Environment
Attachment: Stormwater Parcel Reports
(Hardcopies of the reports are available for public review in the City
Clerk's office and the Main Library)
Electronic versions of reports are available at:
http: / /www.smgov. net /Departments /OSE /Categories /Urban Runoff /Storm
water Parcel Fees.aspx
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