03-14-2019 VC WS-MMINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP SESSION
VILLAGE COUNCIL OF NORTH PALM BEACH, FLORIDA
March 14, 2019
Present: Darryl C. Aubrey, Sc.D., Mayor
Mark Mullinix, Vice Mayor
David B. Norris, President Pro Tem
Susan Bickel, Councilmember
Deborah Searcy, Councilmember
Andrew D. Lukasik, Village Manager
Leonard G. Rubin, P.A., Village Attorney
Melissa Teal, Village Clerk
ROLL CALL
Mayor Aubrey called the meeting to order at 9:30 p.m. All members of Council were present. All
members of staff were present.
Mayor Aubrey explained the purpose of the Workshop was to discuss the Stormwater
Management Study and potential implementation of a stormwater management revenue collection
system.
Mr. Lukasik explained there was a lot of discussion within the 2016 Systems Management Plan
regarding management of stormwater and introduced Robert Taylor with Hazen and Sawyer to
present the findings of the Stormwater Management Study authorized on July 12, 2018.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT STUDY
Mr. Taylor shared a PowerPoint presentation reporting the findings of the Stormwater
Management Study.
Mr. Taylor outlined the infrastructure of the Village's Stormwater Management System as
follows:
• Over 47,000 linear feet of stormwater pipe, six (6) inches to 60 inches in diameter
• Six (6) major outfalls
• Approximately 42 miles of swales
Mr. Taylor provided a brief summary of the Regulatory Review and collection of data for the
study, which included a review of stormwater infrastructure and assets with capital cost estimation
and maintenance cost estimation, as well as parcel data analysis. He reviewed the distribution of
property use by parcel count and acreage and an estimation of the impervious area potentially
impacting stormwater management. Mr. Taylor noted distribution of property use would be
important in informing stormwater utility assessments.
Discussion ensued regarding efforts to manage impervious area and credits for creating
improvements on properties which were less impervious.
Mr. Taylor explained the methodology used in developing the Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU),
which is the billing unit commonly used by stormwater utilities to determine the fee customers
pay for their share of stormwater services.
Village Council Workshop Session held March 14, 2019
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Mr. Taylor provided the ERU estimate, as follows:
• SF Average Impervious Area = 5,550 square feet
• MF Average Impervious Area = 1,525 square feet
• Weighted Average Impervious Area = 3,538 square feet (ERU)
• Non -Residential ERU = 65 percent of total parcel area / 3,53 8 square feet (unique for each
parcel)
• Total estimated Village ERUs = 12,665
Mr. Taylor noted the non-residential properties would be measured manually when proceeding
with utility development and ERU estimates excluded public schools. Mr. Taylor explained the
two (2) most common billing collection methodologies, including collection via water/sewer
utility bills and collection via non -ad valorem assessment tax bills. He broke down the advantages
and disadvantages of each.
Utility Billing (Seacoast Utility Authority):
• Collected on monthly water/sewer bill
• Collection enforcement via discontinued service
• More flexible for rate/charge changes
• Fee assignment may be less straightforward for some customers
• Would require agreement with Seacoast Utility Authority
• Likely to include additional administrative costs
Non -ad Valorem Assessment:
• Collected annually on County property tax bill
• Assessment rolls simple to maintain
• High rate of collection
• Can only be updated annually
• Require compliance with specific statutory process
• Strong correlation of parcel data and tax bill database
• Likely to include additional administrative costs
• Some parcels may be exempt from non -ad valorem assessments
Discussion ensued regarding utility billing in surrounding communities and managing tiers within
residential classifications versus administrative simplicity.
Mr. Taylor outlined four (4) conceptual scenarios:
• Scenario 1: Stormwater program status quo with asset videoing and cleaning added
• Scenario 2: Scenario 1 plus CIP with rehabilitation and maintenance program based on
FY2018 budget
• Scenario 3: Scenario 1 plus rehabilitation and maintenance program based on asset
materials and age estimates
• Scenario 4: Scenario 3 with added swale rehabilitation CIP
Mr. Taylor broke down the costs of each scenario for Fiscal Years 2019-2023 and the associated
stormwater fee per EU necessary over the five (5) year period for each and compared the numbers
with the monthly stormwater fees among Florida stormwater jurisdictions.
Village Council Workshop Session held March 14, 2019 Page 3 of 3
Mr. Taylor discussed approaches for dealing with issues which have happened over the years and
explained assumptions. He noted Council could make decisions regarding putting together a
program that fit with the Village's financial strategy.
Discussion ensued regarding how much impact each level would have on the stormwater system
and the option of billing through Seacoast or the County tax rolls.
In response to a question from Mayor Aubrey, Mr. Taylor explained comparing municipalities
would require an in-depth look at the nuance of each community's situation.
Councilmember Searcy expressed concern about asking residents to spend almost $100 a year on
two (2) miles of swale per year that might not be done to the standards they would apply in their
own yards.
Mr. Taylor stated it would likely be a matter of cherry picking the areas where there were resident
complaints and addressing those which were a problem. He explained the process would be
tailored to each individual area, not a one size fits all.
Discussion ensued regarding addressing the swales and landscaping.
Mr. Taylor explained the next steps were to move into a more detailed study phase and an
implementation phase, and at that point the question regarding equitability could be addressed.
Discussion ensued regarding the rates and prioritization of work.
Council came to consensus to move into the detailed study phase.
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business to come before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 10:35 p.m.
Compfet�d by Jessica Green, MMC, Village Clerk
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