The Town Council will be discussing the possibility of implementing a storm water fee to cover the costs of complying with federal clean water mandates.

The issue has been discussed at the council level numerous times over the past decade, but no action has ever been taken to implement such a fee.

Currently any costs incurred in complying with storm water regulations come out of the General Fund and Highway User Revenue Funds (HURF).

The annual costs can vary depending on any efforts that include capital projects. Staff is looking at a fee that would generate $486,000 annually. That is $3 per month for each water meter (approximately 13,500 as of 2012).

The town is required to have a Phase II Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Permit, a federal permit administered by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The town is also required to have an active Storm Water Management Plan.

Currently the ongoing costs that could be covered under the fee include street sweeping and wash maintenance.

The fees could also cover costs for reclaimed water discharge permits, Arizona Department of Water Resources dam inspections and maintenance (the town has about six ADWR jurisdiction dams), as well as such things as household hazardous waste recycling events and storm debris cleanup.

Recent council discussion also brought to light the need for storm drain and culvert inspections and cleaning and also major projects such as the Ashbrook Wash culvert improvements at Saguaro Boulevard and Bayfield Drive.

Future culvert projects on Ashbrook such as Del Cambre Avenue and El Pueblo Boulevard could also be covered by the fees.

One of the challenges related to such a fee has been a billing system. The town does not handle services such as water, trash collection or sewer, which would typically have billing systems. It would need to develop one from scratch or depend on another entity for assistance.

The council has discussed the storm water fee as many as 16 times since 2007. This has occurred in various forums including regular meetings, special sessions and work study sessions. An unwillingness to implement a new tax on citizens has been another obstacle to such a program.

The council consent agenda this week includes the annual charge for maintenance and support of the town’s financial software.

The Town Council will meet Thursday, Oct. 2, at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers at Town Hall. The session is open to the public.