Woodway OKs tax for stormwater

Voters in Woodway approved a storm-water utility to raise money for a system to handle storm-water drainage problems in the town of 1,050 residents.

About two-thirds of voters backed the assessment the Town Council could have established without a public vote but decided it was a public concern that should be addressed by those paying the bills.

Based on Wednesday-morning results, 62 percent of the 209 voters agreed to assess themselves as least $8 per month plus another $4-$8 monthly depending on the amount of paved surface on their property. Mayor Carla Nichols said the town already has a “full database on every piece of property and can identify every driveway … and sport court.”

The utility will raise about $300,000 the first year for new storm drains, improvements to existing ones and other projects.

There has been some minor flooding in Woodway over the years, noted Mayor Nichols. Some neighborhoods in the upscale wooded community of about 400 homes were built in the 1960s when “drainage was not adequate for this type of build- out,” she added.

Woodway spent a year developing a two-phase, six-year storm-water plan to address storm-water problems, according to the mayor. She said the plan, and the approved utility, will put the town in position to meet governmental clean-water requirements which will be expected of Woodway in the future.

Grants will be sought, noted the mayor, to pay for some future projects.

Exact rates for the utility have yet to be set. They will be based mainly on the cost of the planned improvements and are subject to change as projects are completed or changed.

“We’re really making an investment … into how we handle ground water … in terms of public safety … and improving properties negatively impacted by one neighbor or the town not having adequate infrastructure,” Nichols said.

As for those who voted against the measure, the mayor suggested “maybe they don’t see a need … some have to see a real crisis situation before they want to respond.”

In a storm-water-related survey circulated among residents, many indicated a desire to learn more about becoming more environmentally responsible about clean water, Nichols said. “I think there is a spirit in Woodway of people wanting to do that.”