Dover to hold workshop on stormwater and flood resiliency utility

Stormwater closed Snows Court at Fourth Street during the floods in 2006. (Courtesy photo)

DOVER - The City of Dover will host a public workshop on May 23 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 305 of the McConnell Center to discuss the creation of a stormwater and flood resiliency utility for the city. The workshop will include a presentation about the benefits followed by a breakout session to solicit public feedback on how best to implement it.

At the direction of the City Council, city staff, working with the Ordinance Committee, Utility Commission, and a consultant, are drafting an ordinance that authorizes a stormwater and flood resiliency utility that will be brought to City Council in the future for adoption.

On Feb. 2, 2022, the City Council accepted the recommendation of the ad hoc Committee to Study Stormwater and Flood Resilience Funding and declared its intent to form a stormwater and flood resiliency utility by ordinance.

The stormwater committee, created by City Council in 2020, was to investigate, study, identify, and make recommendations to the council concerning potential funding opportunities for current and future stormwater and flood resiliency management planning. Its membership included a group of stakeholders that met for over a year before making their recommendation to the City Council.

Stormwater runoff flows across impervious surfaces and does not soak into the ground, collecting surface pollutants such as oil, bacteria, and sediment as it flows, often deposited into our local waterways untreated. During heavy rain events, the city's stormwater drainage system is overwhelmed, causing flooding and significant financial damage to roads and property. Therefore, reducing stormwater runoff makes financial and environmental sense but requires ongoing investments. The city has accumulated at least $5 million in deferred stormwater and flood resiliency projects due to insufficient funding, with rising costs projected from increasing federal and state regulatory requirements.

Currently, stormwater funding is primarily through the city's General Fund, much of which is generated through property taxes. The City Council's ad hoc Committee to Study Stormwater and Flood Resilience Funding found that its neither sustainable nor a fair way to fund stormwater runoff infrastructure, as 55% of the stormwater infrastructure is funded by residential property owners, even though they account for only 25% of the city's impervious area. Stormwater affects all city parcels, but not all parcels pay into the General Fund, such as tax-exempt properties.

The McConnell Center is located at 61 Locust St., Dover.