Summit County is looking to create a stormwater utility that would tackle flooding, erosion and water-quality problems in the region — a move that would include a monthly fee for all property owners.
County Engineer Al Brubaker is drumming up support for the idea now, saying the county must develop a stormwater management program because water problems are getting worse and at some point the Environmental Protection Agency will step in.
The initial fee, based on the amount of impervious surface area for each property, would be $12 a year for the average homeowner, and higher for businesses and industries that contribute more to water run-off.
The fee would raise anywhere from $5 million to $6 million in the first year to fund the program. The fee would triple in two years.
Brubaker said he knows there may be resistance from many property owners already stressed over their taxes.
“It’s a concern. That concern may be why it hasn’t been addressed till now,” he said. “It’s obviously a political issue but it’s one that there’s a great need for. In my opinion and as an elected official and an engineer who understands these problems, I wouldn’t be doing my duty if I didn’t bring forward a solution.”
The creation of any utility, which would be overseen by a nine-member board, would require approval by County Council.
Brubaker appeared in front of the council last year to talk about the issue. At that time, he suggested the county create a new tax levy to support the effort. Since then, Lorain County Community College and the University of Akron have studied the issue and begun reaching out to individual communities.
Local officials suggested a utility fee instead of a tax, Brubaker said.
Council President Jerry Feeman said he knew that the engineer was working on a program but didn’t know the proposal now focuses on a utility fee. He said he’d like to hear another presentation from Brubaker.
“I think it’s worthwhile for us to look at, but we have to take a real hard look at the cost,” Feeman said.
He added that he is concerned about communities such as Macedonia and Tallmadge that already charge their residents a fee to support local stormwater programs.
Brubaker said the county fee would be applied to all property owners and would be in addition to any local fee. He said that he would prefer that entities such as schools, churches and the University of Akron be exempt from paying but that isn’t possible for a utility.
Summit County and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District are embroiled in a legal battle over whether the Cleveland-based district can impose a stormwater fee on property owners within its boundaries in northern Summit County.
That dispute helped jumpstart the county effort. The intention is not to have those property owners pay two regional fees if the county loses the lawsuit, Brubaker said.
Costs to be kept low
The engineer, who would oversee the utility, said the goal would be to keep administrative costs for the program low. Brubaker said he would probably hire one or two engineers to oversee the program and then have the majority of work done by consultants and contractors.
Money collected in the southern portion of the county would be spent on projects in that area. Meanwhile, money collected in the northern portion would remain there. That was requested by the communities, Brubaker said.
The nine-member Surface Water Management Board — made up of a variety of government officials and appointees — would review funding and projects. It would operate in a way similar to the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study, which oversees road projects.
The engineer has been seeking feedback from cities, villages and townships within the county.
Green officials are expressing concern after receiving a letter from the engineer explaining the effort and asking for feedback by Wednesday.
Green Councilman Bruce Manwaring called the proposal another tax that probably won’t benefit the city. He also said that at this point, the community doesn’t have a representative on the nine-member board.
Mayor Dick Norton said he wanted more time to learn specifics and weigh the benefits and costs to residents and businesses. He said the city could be required to pay as much as $1,000 for the Central Administration Building property alone.
The mayor and Planning Director Wayne Wiethe both stressed the need for fairness, adding that Green storm- water projects are very local and wouldn’t have any regional impact.
However, Brubaker said everyone is affected — or affects others.
“Ninety percent of folks don’t have a stormwater problem they can see,” he said. “They are high and dry [and] their attitude is, ‘Too bad for the people who aren’t.’ The fact is that everyone is contributing to the problem, whether they are high or not. I think it’s the right thing to do to properly manage our stormwater from our urban developments.”
He said that the EPA probably will be pushing the county to do more with stormwater.
“They are tightening the regulations on stormwater and water quality around the country,” Brubaker said. “So far in Summit County, we’ve done a pretty good job of meeting the EPA’s requirements without the regional fee. But with new regulations, we’re not going to be able to do that.”
To read the full proposal, go to: http://engineer.co.summit.oh.us/.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
Correspondent George Davis contributed to this report.
