In 2005, property owners approved the Storm Drain User Fee, which provides funding for the City’s storm drain improvement and maintenance program.  Property owners pay the user fee for parcels that use the City’s storm drain system.  In 2006, the fee was based on $86 per Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU); increasing by the Consumer Price Index each year (maximum of 2% per year).  Click here for a detailed explanation of how your storm drain user fee is calculated.  The current storm drain user fee rate for FY09-10 is $89.47/ERU.

On November 6, 2007, the voters approved Measure C, an amendment to the User Fee ordinance to include a voter enacted Oversight Committee and a 10-year sunset of the storm drain user fee.  When the User Fee rate was established by the property owners in 2005, the total User Fees to be collected over 30 years was estimated to be about $50 million to pay for known construction projects, storm drain lining, maintenance, staffing and engineering

Based upon the 10-year sunset established with the passage of Measure C, the maximum total User Fees that could be collected is estimated to be about $13 million. It appears as though it will be necessary to secure other funding sources to continue the Storm Drain program when the User Fee expires on June 30, 2016.

City’s McCarrell Canyon Project is Awarded 2009 Project of the Year by the American Public Works Association

The City’s McCarrell Canyon Storm Drain Project was recently awarded the 2009 Project of the Year in the Facilities Category by the Southern California Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA).  McCarrell Canyon was one of only two projects in Southern California selected for this prestigious honor in the Facilities Category. 

The McCarrell Canyon project was established as one the highest priority Tactical Planning goals established by the City Council and supported by the City’s Oversight Committee for the Water Quality and Flood Protection program.  The total cost of the McCarrell Canyon project was $7.45 million paid for with General Fund reserves and storm drain fees collected from property owners.  The Water Quality and Flood protection program is managed by the City’s Public works department.

The project design engineers, Harris & Associates, prepared a presentation highlighting the receipt of the award for McCarrell Canyon and showcasing the finished project.  Click here to view the presentation.

User Fee Assistance Program

To be eligible for the Storm Drain User Fee Assistance Program, all property owners of record must have a combined gross income under $35,000 for the tax year. To substantiate eligibility for FY09-10, all property owners of record are required to copy and submit the pages of their Federal Tax Return(s) that detail their contact information, adjusted gross income and signature (typically pages 1 and 2) along with a completed application form before December 31, 2010.
Click here for an application.

User Fee Appeals

If a property owner disagrees with the calculation of his or her Storm Drain User Fee, based on the parcel size and/or estimated impervious percentage, the property owner may appeal the City’s calculation. Staff will accept appeal applications on a continual basis. Fee adjustments resulting from appeal applications received through June 30, 2009 will be reflected on FY2009-10 property tax bills. 

The Storm Drain User Fee for all commercial, institutional, multi-family, government-owned, condominium, and single-family parcels three quarters (.75) of an acre or larger have been determined based upon an actual calculation of the impervious percentage using the City’s Geographic Information System.  Click here for a Storm Drain User Fee Appeal Application.