TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Bruce Moe, Acting City Manager
FROM:
Henry Mitzner, Controller
SUBJECT:Title
Public Hearing Regarding the Annual Storm Water Service Charge for Fiscal Year 2014-2015 (Acting City Manager Moe).
a) CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING
b) ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 14-0036
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Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council conduct a public hearing on the annual storm water service charge for fiscal year 2014-2015, and adopt Resolution No. 14-0036.
Body
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The storm water fee currently generates approximately $346,000 annually. A General Fund subsidy is necessary because the fee is insufficient to fund storm water operations, maintenance and capital needs, leaving no fund balance as of June 30, 2015.
Under present conditions, the General Fund subsidy offsetting Storm Drain deficits will continue indefinitely. In addition to the subsidy there is unreimbursed overhead support from the General Fund of approximately $360,000 as determined by the periodic cost allocation plan. As costs escalate due to mandates for clean water and storm water treatment, the General Fund support will also grow unless action is taken to increase the fee. A preliminary study of costs and appropriate fees is underway and will be presented to the City Council in the fall.
BACKGROUND:
The City levies an annual storm water service charge on each parcel of real property in the City. The Charge is levied to finance the costs of on-going operation and maintenance of storm water facilities and services. The fee is based on an engineering analysis of the City's storm drain requirements performed in 1996 by an outside consultant. The typical fee is $19.12 per year per single family residence. The fee has remained unchanged since the passage of Proposition 218 in 1996.
DISCUSSION:
The storm water fee is collected each fiscal year via the County of Los Angeles consolidated property tax bill. The City submits such charges to the County each year by the August due date specified by the County Auditor in order to include the fee on the property tax bills issued in October.
In order to include the fee on the property tax bill, the City Council must hold a public hearing, at which time the City Council considers all objections and protests regarding the proposed levy of the fee for Fiscal Year 2014-15. Assuming there is not a majority protest, the City Council may then order that the charge be collected for Fiscal Year 2014-15 on the County of Los Angeles tax roll.
The notice of this hearing was published in The Beach Reporter on June 12, 2014 and June 19, 2014.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the City Council conduct a public hearing on the annual storm water service charge for fiscal year 2014-2015, and assuming an insufficient majority protest, adopt Resolution No. 14-0036 thereby ordering collection of the fee through the County of Los Angeles consolidated property tax bill.
Attachment:
1. Resolution No. 14-0036