(Seguin) — The Seguin City Council has given final approval to a measure that creates a new funding source for drainage projects across the city. The council on Tuesday approved the second and final reading of an ordinance that establishes a $3 monthly stormwater drainage fee.
No one spoke during the public hearing on the fee, which was recommended by city staff. City Manager Steve Parker called the fee a game changer for the city. He says it provides an equitable and sustainable way to begin to address drainage problems in the city, while also protecting the city’s streets.
The council approved the fee this week, but the city will not start collecting it until this time next year. Parker says it will be $3 per month for residential customers, while industrial customers will be assessed a fee based on the amount if impervious cover they have at their site.
“We won’t start billing until January of 2023 to give people time to get ready for this. Once again, this is really to me the sustainable way to fix the drainage issues that we have around Seguin, as well as work on our street maintenance issues that we have related to potholes. If you can’t move the water off the streets, they don’t last. We are just looking for one sustainable (funding) source. We aprpeciate how much time the council has spent exploring the different options and how many times that they’ve questioned us related to how we can maybe accomplish these same things, which made us go back, sharpen our pencils, and we were able to reduce the (originally proposed $5) fee to $3,” said Parker.
The city has been working towards this fee and the creation of a stormwater utility for months. It hired a consultant to help with the process. In addition to a number of discussions at council meetings, the city provided a number of opportunities for the public to weigh-in on this issue.
Parker says creating a new fee is never something that’s popular, but he says this is the best way for the city to begin to start addressing its drainage problems.