The City of Reno is considering adding Storm sewers by amending the Reno Municipal Code with a proposed ordinance that, if passed, would go into effect on July 1, 2023.

This latest series of storms the region has experienced has had a major impact on snow cover and water levels in Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River, so much so that the Truckee Meadows Water Authority has declared the drought officially over.

But was the flood sufficient to justify the creation of a new storm sewer system?

“Actually, this has been a long time in the making,” said Jonathan Simpson, engineer for the City of Reno. “The city knew it needed to improve drainage and stormwater infrastructure here in the city.

“I think it was 2018. [when] our city council commissioned our engineering staff to study the storm sewer model and conduct a feasibility study at that time. Since then, we’ve been back to our city council probably four or five times with various parts of advancing this storm drain,” Simpson added.

The Stormwater Utility Fee is intended to cover costs associated with flood response system maintenance, repairs and replacements, and improvements to the city’s drainage system. The monthly equivalent housing unit or ERU rate will be calculated at $13.46 per month.

“Stake fee is commonly used by various agencies around the country,” Simpson said. “We hired a consultant who looked at various options across the country and determined which ones work best and what is most fair to all property owners here in the city. Ultimately, it was decided to use something called an impenetrable zone.”

An impervious area defines any ground that does not allow rainwater to soak directly into the ground, such as buildings or paved areas. This means that a single-family home has less impenetrable floor space compared to a business with a main building and paved areas such as parking.

The single-family residential property will be divided into three levels, one of which will be the smallest and three the largest, where the impenetrable area will be measured in square feet.

The first level will be between 400 and 2400 square feet and will be priced at 0.6 ERUs. The second level will be between 2,401 and 5,000 square feet and will cost 1.0 ERUs. Tier 3 is anything over 5,000 square feet and costs 1.7 ERUs.

Non-family properties include businesses, government buildings, residential complexes, commercial and industrial buildings. They will have a separate tax, which is calculated based on the total impenetrable area.

For those properties with more than four ERUs, the initial rate will also increase over a three-year period, with owners paying 33% of the full rate in the first year, 66% in the second year, and the full rate from the third year. on.

If approved this year, the rate increase would continue until 2026, but would not apply to new developments after 2026.

The use of the collected fees will be directed to the storm sewer utility fund in the city budget and is intended to cover the costs of administering, operating and maintaining the storm sewer.

Property owners will be required to pay fees quarterly and in advance, and if fees are not paid, they will become collateral until fully paid.

The City also plans to implement a stormwater income assistance program that will apply to residents enrolled in the Energy Assistance Program, Supplemental Social Income, Disability Social Security, or any equivalent low-income program that provides assistance with utility bills. The income allowance will be equivalent to half of the annual calculation fee for the respective financial year. The city of Reno has a page that lists all the details about the project, as well as a feedback section that residents can use to give their opinion on the utility. If all goes according to plan, the city council will review the proposal, along with any comments from businesses and homeowners, sometime in March.

Content Source