Advisory committee gives Byron thumbs up for new stormwater utility

Byron will move forward to create a new utility to charge residents and businesses fees to deal with stormwater runoff.

The City Council approved moving ahead to create the utility this week following a recommendation from a public advisory committee to do so.

The committee, under guidance from Georgia Water and Environmental Services of Perry, looked at challenges facing the community’s public works stormwater management program.

Council members, who had very little discussion prior to accepting the committee’s recommendation Monday but have talked about it for several years, have said cities across Georgia are creating similar utilities to deal with federal and state mandates regarding the environmental impact and handling of stormwater runoff.

As part of its own problems, Byron has faced water system woes while trying to identify and remedy water seepage into its drainage system resulting in regulatory fines.

Without outlining many specifics about how the fee will be charged and the utility operated, the public advisory committee did advise that residential property owners should be charged a flat fee and that other property, such as business and industrial sites, should be charged a fee based on impervious area.

Impervious area is a determination of the area of property that cannot absorb rainwater or other water distribution but causes water to run off.

The committee recommended to council that monthly residential fees be in the range of $2.75 to $3.50. There was no range given for other classifications, neither were there specific guidelines given for when the new utility would begin operation or exactly how residents would be billed.

The recommendation did include that fees should be reviewed and suggested rates may need to increase during the next 10 years.

A document from the recommending committee said their group was made up of four Byron residents, four business owners and two other volunteers. It stated the group studied issues relative to mandates, solutions to stormwater problems and how it all could be payed, resulting in its recommendation.

The committee met in January and conducted three public meetings in February.

The group said there was no need for further public meetings prior to creating the utility.

The council’s vote was unanimous, apart from Councilman Michael Chidester who was not at the meeting. Chidester gives council oversight to Byron’s utility and public works department and has helped oversee handling past drainage issues and the coming need for a solution to stormwater runoff.

In other business during its meeting Monday, the council:

▪  Heard the first reading of an ordinance to regulate and penalize motorists cutting through private property and parking lots to avoid traffic lights;

▪  Voted unanimously to amend the city’s wide range of building and other related permit fees, primarily to include such new items as a $50 after-hours (inspection or service) fee, $50 curb cutting fee and an increase in fees related to telecommunication towers;

▪  Voted unanimously to authorize the city enter contracts related to Georgia Department of Transportation Local Maintenance & Improvement Grants related to street paving and repaving for which the city must pay about an $80,000 portion, according to Councilman Mike Chumbly;

▪  Voted unanimously to contribute funds from its building, planning and zoning department to help with demolition and removal of asbestos from nuisance properties if a community development block grant is awarded to the city to revamp housing in portions of the city. Council also approved waiving building fees for related projects if the city receives the grant.

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Advisory committee gives Byron thumbs up for new stormwater utility."