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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Meeting today The Snohomish County Council plans to consider a possible increase in storm-water fees at 1:30 p.m. today in the County Council chambers on the eighth floor of the Administration Building East, 3000 Rockefeller Ave.   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, November 17, 2008 Tax hike sought to clean up Puget Sound By Bill Sheets Herald Writer EVERETT -- Many property owners in Snohomish County could notice a bump-up on their property tax bill next year as part of the effort to cut pollution in Puget Sound. Snohomish County is proposing an increase from $33.01 to $85 per year per single-family parcel for storm-water management. For condominiums, the proposed increase is from $29.71 to $76.50. Owners of commercial property and farmland would pay a similar percentage according to a formula based on the amount of paved or covered surface on the parcel. The fees apply to most of the populated areas of unincorporated Snohomish County and appear on property owners' tax bills. People will have a chance to speak on the issue at a meeting of the County Council scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today. Some cities are planning increases as well. Lake Stevens is planning an increase from $65 to $104 for single-family homeowners. The fee hikes are in response to new federal rules that require local jurisdictions to step up both their maintenance of catch basins and retention ponds and their inspections of commercial property. The rules are aimed at reducing, or keeping to a minimum, the runoff from oil- and exhaust-coated pavement that runs into the Sound. Water runoff is the primary source of pollution in the Sound, said Bill Moore, an official in the storm-water department of the state Department of Ecology. Officials say the increases are needed to keep up with the new requirements, which first sprang from court cases in the 1980s and took years to play out. "We're facing having to ramp up with staff and equipment," county public works director Steve Thomsen said. He said the county will need to hire 26 people and buy three new vacuum trucks to keep up with the more stringent requirements. Max Albert of Lynnwood, whose family owns farmland in the Stillaguamish Valley near Arlington, said he would like to have seen more notification about it from the county. The County Council is considering the fee hike, proposed by County Executive Aaron Reardon, as part of its budget process for 2009. The taxpayer is having to cover an unfunded government mandate, Albert said. "The people who end up paying for it don't even know what they're paying for," he said. Actually, there's been some grant money available for cities and counties, Moore said, but it's only been $10 million to $12 million over the past three or four years. "I would say it's a minimally funded mandate." The state is trying to get more from the federal government, but times are tough, he said. Some cities are already charging fees of more than $90 per year for single-family residences -- Mukilteo, $94; Marysville, $96; Monroe, $108; and Everett, $126, according to the county. Some, such as Marysville, are planning minimal increases next year. Everett is planning an increase of $27.60, to $153.60. Lynnwood is raising its fee from $61.08 to $70.08. Other cities, such as Stanwood, are planning no increase. Others, such as Edmonds and Arlington, aren't yet sure. The county's current fee is among the lowest in Western Washington. That's because it's been using real-estate taxes and grants to cover much of the cost, Thomsen said. Those funds are dwindling. In Lake Stevens, the city hasn't been recovering all its costs the last couple of years, city administrator Jan Berg said. She said part of the money goes to run and maintain the aerator, a machine that blows bubbles through tubes into the bottom of the once-badly polluted lake to help water quality. The city also was hit by the expense of having to clean out more storm drains when it added formerly unincorporated territory in 2006 and 2007, she said. In addition to the cleaning and maintenance, the fee pays for watershed management, restoration of salmon habitat, education programs, groundwater monitoring and a program to reduce pet waste, Thomsen said. Albert said he understands that the county is in a tough position. He just wants people to be aware of the fee hike. "If people are willing to accept this big increase, and they know about it, then fine." Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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