By Brian Kelly
Herald Writer
ARLINGTON — The city council voted unanimously Tuesday to form a stormwater utility that will help fund fixes to flooding and water-quality problems.
"We feel that this … is the vehicle that will allow us to move forward," said councilman Craig Hedlund, chairman of the council committee on transportation and surface water management.
"It’s time that it should be done," he said.
Arlington currently dumps untreated stormwater directly into the Stillaguamish River, something the city will be prohibited from doing in the years ahead. And funding is needed for numerous projects to help handle stormwater runoff and prevent pollution, officials said.
How much the utility will charge homeowners and businesses is still up in the air. The city will now create an advisory committee to set up the rate structure. The 12-member committee will be appointed by the mayor and will include a mix of ratepayers, including residents, business owners, industrial interests and a city council member.
"This does not levy any fees, it does not set up any rate structure," city engineer Paul Richart said of the ordinance.
The work on rates should be completed by December, he said.
The city has been considering starting the stormwater utility for years. Other cities — including Everett, Lake Stevens, Marysville and Stanwood — already have established utilities and rate structures.
Under an earlier proposal, the city planned to charge homeowners $5 a month, with low-income seniors paying $3. Officials said businesses would be charged based on the amount of impervious surface, such as roofs, parking lots and patios, on their land.
The move to create a stormwater utility has been unpopular with homeowners and businesses in Arlington, however. Many business owners harshly criticized the idea, saying they had already installed expensive systems to treat stormwater runoff. Some threatened to sue.
Public entities, which may also be tapped for fees, have also expressed concern, including the Arlington School District.
Officials have said that if the district has to pay the fees, the money will come from Arlington taxpayers, and an early estimate pegged those fees at $25,000.
If the district has to pay an amount based on the area of impervious surface at its six campuses, that number could easily climb higher. "That makes me nervous. We don’t know what the fees will be," said assistant superintendent Warren Hopkins.
"We just want to be real frugal and be good stewards of our tax dollars," he said.
Four of the school campuses already have storm-water systems, and new, costly ones will be installed as the district builds a new high school and elementary school.
The stormwater utility itself is a good idea, Hopkins said.
"I’m in favor of what the city is trying to do. I am totally in favor of that," he said. "I’m just not sure how it’s all going to work."
You can call Herald Writer Brian Kelly at 425-339-3422 or send e-mail to kelly@heraldnet.com.
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