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Home My WebLink About20031894.tiff SWWDA a9 fiia: — S0( I111VF_ST %% LLD DRAW; GL _Al' 1-ROItI"r Y' July 9, 2003 Board of Commissioners Weld County P.O. Box 758 Greeley, CO 80632 Dear Commissioners: The time is nearly here when the Southwest Weld Drainage Authority Board of Directors will be considering the adoption of storm drainage fees and charges. Prior to that, the Board wants to receive as much public input as possible. There are several means by which input will be received: • Two public hearings have been scheduled to receive public comment—one on July 30 and the other on August 18. Both will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Southwest Weld County Services Complex. • A letter will be sent to customers very soon that notifies them of the dates and times of the public hearings and other ways to provide feedback. • Along with the letter, we will be sending a Frequently Asked Questions "(FAQ") document that asks and answers many of the questions we have already heard from customers. Included in the FAQ document is information about the fees. • Focus groups will be formed to obtain feedback from small groups of customers. The proposed fees are expected to be approximately as follows: • Residential customers along with owners of agricultural or open space land would pay$50 per year. • Commercial customers would pay $0.002604 per square foot of lot area with a minimum charge of$50.00. • Governmental entities would be exempt from the fees. A lot of work has gone into the development of these fees. They have been carefully developed with the idea of being fair and reasonable. Communication with our customers and member entities is very important to us. We will continue to try to keep you informed of significant matters that may affect the County and its citizens. If you have any questions or I can be of service to you, please do not hesitate to call. Sincerely, 4 David C. Agee, Manager Attachments (Letter to Customers and FAQ) (1.'4 /lA tcv,1 2003-1894 Phone: (720) 652-4252 • Southwest Weld County Services Complex • 4209 CR24 V2 • Longmont,CO 80504 SWW I. A 44,8 SOV 111%% 1 '-, I AtlNLU Uit;UN AGI :At'"I IIORI July 2003 Dear Customer: The Board of Directors of the Southwest Weld Drainage Authority will be holding two public hearings in order to receive comments from the public about proposed stormwater utility rates. The hearings will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Southwest Weld County Services Complex on the following dates: • Wednesday, July 30, 2003 • Monday, August 18, 2003 Members of the public are encouraged to appear at either or both of the hearings to offer comments to the Board. Comments may be oral or written. You are also invited to attend our Board of Directors' Meetings which are held on the last Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the Southwest Weld County Services Complex. In addition, please check out our web site for further information at http://www.swwda.org. Included on the web site are resources about the Authority's formation, minutes of Board of Director's meetings, a map of the Authority's boundaries, and other pertinent information. You can also call our Customer Service Agent, R.S. Wells L.L.C. at 303-779-4525. Sincerely, Southwest Weld Drainage Authority Board of Directors Glenn Vaad Ed Tagliente Robert Fleck Chairman Vice-Chairman Secretary/Treasurer P.O. Box 758 P.O. Box 8 P.O. Box 417 Greeley, CO 80631 Frederick, CO 80530 Longmont, CO 80502 (970) 356-4000 (303) 833-2816 (303) 776-9570 Doug Brown Wade Carlson Judy Ding 1448 Hilltop Dr. P.O. Box 186 P.O. Box 750 Longmont, CO 80501 Dacono, CO 80514 Erie, CO 80516 (303) 772-4312 (303) 833-2317 X126 (303) 926-2870 Harold Nelson Charlie Thomas Dick Wyatt 11955 WCR 15 P.O. Box 100 P.O. Box 435 Longmont, CO 80504 Firestone, CO 80520 Frederick, CO 80530 (303) 776-2336 (303) 833-3291 (303) 833-2388 Southwest Weld Drainage Authority Manager David C. Agee Southwest Weld County Services Complex 4209 CR 24 1/2 Longmont, CO 80504 (720) 652-4252 Phone: (720) 652-4252 • Southwest Weld County Services Complex • 4209 CR24 % • Longmont,CO 80504 Southwest Weld Drainage Authority Frequently Asked Questions These pages are intended to assist citizens in understanding the Southwest Weld Drainage Authority,how it benefits them and the entire community,and how they can become involved in the Authority's public processes. SOUTHWEST WELD DRAINAGE AUTHORITY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS INTRODUCTION 1. What is the Southwest Weld Drainage Authority? The Southwest Weld Drainage Authority is a new storm drainage utility in Southwest Weld County, Colorado. The Authority was formed on March 27, 2002,through an intergovernmental agreement between Weld County, St. Vrain Sanitation District, Weld County Tri-Area Sanitation District, St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District, and the municipalities of Erie, Firestone, Frederick, Dacono, and Longmont. The Authority is an independent political subdivision of the State of Colorado. The member entities formed the Authority believing that a regional approach to stormwater management is both efficient and effective. Among the activities the Authority expects to undertake in the next few years are flood control and water quality management projects. The primary goal is to protect lives and property by removing land from the floodplain. 2. What is the Authority currently doing? During 2003,the Authority is in the process of getting organized. This fall, the Authority will begin charging fees to customers within its service area in order to recover the cost of its operations. These costs consist mostly of administration and engineering. If you received the enclosed letter, then your property is within the boundaries of the Authority's service area and you will be charged a fee for your property. FEES 3. How much will I be charged? The Authority has not yet finalized its proposed rates. A rate proposal has been developed and will be presented at both public hearings. Rates are currently expected to be approximately as follows: Residential customers,agricultural land,open space land • $50.00 per parcel per year Commercial customers* • $0.002604 per square foot of lot area per year(minimum charge of$50.00) * Commercial customers with land used as developed open space such as golf courses and gravel pits would pay the open space land fee rather the commercial fee. 4. How did you come up with these property classifications? Customers are classified as residential whose property is classified as residential in Weld County's property database. Likewise, customers are classified as commercial if their property is classified as commercial or industrial in Weld County's database. Agricultural and open space properties are designated as such in Weld County's property database. 5. What will these fees go for? The fees will be used primarily to offset the cost of administration and engineering. Administrative costs include management, legal, billing, and other costs of doing business. These costs will amount to about $235,000 per year. Engineering costs include the determination of drainage criteria and standards as well as planning for future flood control and water quality improvements. Engineering costs will amount to about $300,000 per year. 6. How will the fee be billed to me? Our Billing and Customer Service agent R.S. Wells L.L.C. will bill the fee. It will be sent to customers as a separate utility bill. 7. How often will I receive a bill? You will receive one bill per year. About '/ of our customers will receive their bills during the month of October, then 1/4 each in November,December,and January. 8. When will I receive my first bill? Billing will start in October of 2003. 9. Will the fee change in the future? In the future, a significant amount of the revenue generated from the stormwater utility fee will be used on capital improvement projects. The number and cost of these projects is not yet known. The fee will likely need to be increased in the future to pay for these projects. However, this will not be done without significant public input. The Authority's goal is to keep fees as low and reasonable as possible. 10. How can you charge these fees without an election? The Authority was formed as an enterprise under the state constitution and does not require an election. The member entities formed the Authority as mentioned in question 1. The stormwater utility fee is not a tax, but a fee for service,just like for water and wastewater utilities. Citizens and businesses benefit through increased flood control and improved surface water quality. As many properties as possible will be removed from the floodplain resulting in greater safety for lives and property. 11. Are there other stormwater utilities? Yes. Colorado cities that have stormwater utilities include Longmont, Loveland, Fort Collins, Windsor, Boulder, Greeley, Arvada, Aurora, Golden, and Evans. Residential stormwater utility fees for these entities range from$36 to$155 per year. 12. Is this a way for new development to avoid their responsibilities for managing stormwater? No. All new development will be required to follow established storm drainage criteria and standards. This means that developers will be required to pay for storm drainage systems and stormwater detention facilities to manage the runoff generated by their developments. 13. My property does not contribute to the stormwater problem! The stormwater utility fee is eventually expected to fund area-wide improvements to the storm drainage system. Controlling floodwaters allows for transportation corridors and emergency traffic to remain unrestricted and benefits the health, safety, and well being of the area's businesses and citizens. Water quality improvements protect the watershed resulting in a cleaner and safer environment. 14. I live in Frederick and I'm paying Weld County Tri-Area Sanitation District a stormwater fee. If I pay your fee,then I'm paying twice. Weld County Tri-Area's fee goes entirely to pay for the new Tri-Area Stormwater Regional Detention Facility. There are no administrative charges of any kind included in their fee. The Southwest Weld Drainage Authority fee is for the Authority's operations. The two fees are entirely separate and are for different things. 15. What if I'm still not satisfied? You may come to one of the public hearings indicated on the enclosed letter to provide the Authority with your feedback. In addition, the Authority's Board of Directors meets on the last Wednesday of every month at the Southwest Weld County Services Complex at 7:00 p.m. Directions to this Complex are provided below. STORM WATER BASICS 16. What is stormwater runoff? Stormwater runoff is the water that flows off roofs, driveways, parking lots, streets, and other hard surfaces during rainstorms. Rather than being absorbed into the ground, it pours into ditches, culverts, catch basins, and storm drains. It does NOT receive any treatment before eventually entering the community's streams and lakes. 17. What problems does it cause? Stormwater can carry harmful pollutants,cause flooding,erode topsoil and stream banks and destroy marine life habitats. In an area with natural ground cover, on average, only 10% of rainwater becomes runoff. The rest is absorbed or evaporates. In urban areas, up to 55%of rainfall can become storm water runoff. 18. Why are the stormwater and sanitary systems separate? Unlike wastewater, which is treated before it is released back into the environment, stormwater goes directly into ponds, streams,and lakes. Because stormwater comes in large amounts at unpredictable times,treating it as wastewater would be very expensive. 19. What is nonpoint source pollution? Nonpoint source pollution is water pollution that is difficult to trace to a specific discharge point. Because it comes from many diverse sources, it is hard to control. Examples of common nonpoint source pollutants include fertilizers,pesticides, sediments,oils,salts,trace metals,and litter.They come from farms, yards, roofs, construction sites, automobiles and streets. The pollutants can get into the watershed causing harm to the environment. 20. What is impervious surface? "Impervious surface" means a surface that has been compacted or covered so that it is highly resistant to infiltration by water. Buildings, manmade structures, driveways, patio areas, roofs, concrete or asphalt sidewalks, parking lots or storage areas, and other bricked, oiled, or hard-surfaced areas which impede passage of storm waters into the earth's surface are deemed to be impervious. 21. Is flooding really a problem? Communities along the front range in Colorado are vulnerable to river and stream flooding, flash floods, and urban street flooding. Flooding along rivers is a natural and inevitable part of life. Some floods occur seasonally when spring rains, coupled with melting snows, fill river basins with too much water too quickly. Most flash flooding is caused by slow-moving thunderstorms or thunderstorms repeatedly moving over the same area. Urban street flooding occurs when land is converted from fields to roads and parking lots and loses its ability to absorb rainfall. Urbanization increases runoff two to six times over what would occur on natural terrain causing streets to become swift moving rivers during rainfall. 22. Can you explain more about flash flooding? A flash flood is typically caused by sudden, excessive rainfall that sends a river, stream or other body of water rapidly out of its banks. Often this occurs in a short amount of time—several hours or even less. The constant influx of water finally causes a treacherous overflow to begin, powerful enough to sweep vehicles away, roll boulders into roadways, uproot trees, level buildings, and drag bridges off their piers. Most frightening is the rapidity with which the water rises. In the western United States,the soil is generally dry and unable to absorb large amounts of water. Heavy rains from showers and thunderstorms can quickly fill dry stream and river beds, sending torrents of water downstream. Fast-moving water is extremely powerful. The result can be deadly to anyone in the water's path. The force of flash flood waters can be extremely dangerous to motorists who unwittingly or unknowingly drive over water- covered roads. Only two feet of running water are needed to sweep away a car. Most people are unaware that: ▪ 80%of flood deaths occur in vehicles,and most happen when drivers make a single, fatal mistake trying to navigate through flood waters. • Just 6 inches of rapidly moving flood water can knock a person down. • A mere 2 feet of water can float a large vehicle—even a bus. • One-third of flooded roads and bridges are so damaged by water that any vehicle trying to cross stands only a 50%chance of making it to the other side. 23. It's never flooded where I live! Every property has stormwater runoff that contributes to the need to build, operate and maintain the storm drainage system. Therefore, every property will benefit from the storm drainage system. CONCLUSION 24. Why do you think the Drainage Authority is the best solution? The Board of Directors believes the Southwest Weld Drainage Authority is the appropriate agency to effectively and economically address regional drainage issues in southwest Weld County. The following summarizes the Board's beliefs: • The failure to address drainage problems poses a serious threat to the lives, property, and welfare of existing and future residents of southwest Weld County. • Drainage problems and solutions are regional in nature—they do not begin or end at town or county boundaries. • Nine agencies—Weld County, the towns of Erie, Firestone and Frederick, the cities of Dacono and Longmont,the St. Vrain and the Weld County Tri-area sanitation districts, and the St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District—have joined together to ensure the success of a regional approach to drainage. • The most effective and least costly drainage improvements are based on technically sound drainage basin master plans that identify the necessary drainage systems before additional development in the basins occurs. • The Southwest Weld Drainage Authority is committed to planning and implementing a regional drainage system that protects the lives, property and welfare of the residents of southwest Weld County, and to ensuring that the costs of the system are divided fairly among those who contribute to the need for the improvements and benefit by their construction. 25. Who can I contact for more information? You can call R.S. Wells L.L.C.,our Customer Service Agent at(303)779-4525. 26. Can I email you? You can email us at: Directions to Southwest Weld County Services Complex Info@swwda.org 25 11•11.11.1161~41~1120I Tit.Ca MO You can also visit our web site at: '""IN" '•a'""•a "' MiniBIs rad he u.. .�•NY.Mess MIMI w'irr� Mini M Left it Se Mr1S.21 Po ba—. ��- Trani ISM.M.d MONO aMin 1wMwn weld C°"� www.swwda.org ,, --•-d• - se.k.canape ♦un L.*TAM Y11..YM..e.1i. VM Weld Comet,Id 24. tr.tenr bow V..lead 1t 1110)452-4250 ea�3G0 % 119 Weld Cato Rad24 !•o.nnlmnd ISSN ar exit 245 .:•t awr stay a 54 �ait Tw1611v th.din.. . Ti..la•tl..w.Went... w..Yp wd. 41st M Um.t.m w..*maw r.•d.. Tin NON SSW teary erd a n W e INN lwwl.YM'Alm.,Oa Ti..Lott r 4Y.-may N. 25 Hello