The City Engineer shall be the Administrator of the Stormwater Utility, as established in this Chapter. The Administrator, with approval from the Utility Commission, shall be authorized to develop and adopt policies and standards, to promote, regulate and administer the City's stormwater code. The regulations in this chapter and other related provisions contained elsewhere in the Code shall be administered by the City Engineer.
The Stormwater Utility will provide for effective management and financing of the stormwater conveyance system within the City.
(a) In order to accomplish the purpose of effective financing of the stormwater conveyance system within the City, the chapter shall:
(1) Establish and maintain fair and reasonable stormwater management service charges for each lot or parcel in the City, which bear a substantial relationship to the cost of providing stormwater management services and facilities. Such service charges shall be charged because each property contributes to stormwater runoff and benefits from effective management of stormwater by the City of Mount Vernon.
(2) Ensure that similar properties pay similar stormwater management service charges which reflect the area of each property and its intensity of development, since these factors bear directly on the peak rate of stormwater runoff.
Charges for residential properties shall reflect the relatively uniform effect that such development has on runoff. Charges for all other properties shall be in proportion to residential properties, utilizing both relative area and intensity of development in setting rates;
(3) Provide a mechanism for consideration of specific or unusual service requirements of some properties, and special and general benefits accruing to or from properties as a result of providing their own stormwater management facilities;
(4) Provide for a service charge adjustment process to review stormwater charges when unusual circumstances exist which alter runoff characteristics, when either service or benefit varies from a normal condition or is of greater significance than contribution to runoff or to periodically ensure that rates reflect the current costs of effective stormwater management; and
(5) Utilize stormwater management funds throughout the City, except where activities or facilities are clearly unusual and in excess of the normal level of service City-wide and where developers are responsible for providing any new stormwater facilities required for their project.
(Ord. 2019-35. Passed 11-12-19.)