The Town Council wants to further educate citizens about an impending “environmental fee” before sending out bills.

The $36 annual fee was approved by council last November, and since that time staff has been researching the best way to bill residents and collect the revenue.

Staff was poised to recommend hiring a Florida firm to provide billing services, but the council last Thursday evening delayed the issue.

The council talked on and off for years about implementing an environmental fee, largely to pay for costs being mandated by the federal and state governments.

But Councilwoman Cassie Hansen said last week it was not appropriate to approve the billing firm on the consent agenda without further communication to citizens from the town.

“I think it’s a good idea, since we’re imposing a new fee, that we have a presentation, discuss what we’re required to do, what this is paying for,” Hansen said.

Councilman Dennis Brown agreed, saying some open houses and perhaps a work/study session on the topic would be a good idea.

Town Manager Grady Miller said he would come back to the council with a communication plan.

Part of the contract with the billing firm will require notifications to be mailed to all property owners.

Background

The environment fee was established by the council to help cover the costs of administering the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Permit (MS4) required by the federal government.

These are mandated requirements from the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Clean Water Act and Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Activities the town must fund related to this permit include street sweeping, storm drain and culvert inspection/cleaning, drainage parcel inspection, on-call storm debris clean-up, household hazardous waste collection, wash maintenance, Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) dam maintenance and inspection, illegal dumping costs, ADEQ storm water permits and costs, water discharge permits for use of effluent and Maricopa County Dust Control permit and costs.

Within the town’s 22 square miles there are 73,200 linear feet of storm drains, culverts and channels, 1.9 million lineal feet of curb and gutter and 177 miles of streets.

Also, 407 catch basins with 25 inspected annually, 700 acres of town-owned washes and six town-owned dams.

The town reported that over the past five years it spent nearly $1.2 million in costs related to the above requirements for storm water management.

Some items that can be deferred have gone unbudgeted.

The $3 monthly fee from an estimated 13,000 parcels would fund approximately 95 percent of the associated environmental costs.

Without the fee the town would need to continue working within its General Fund budget at the expense of other programs and needs.