Stormwater sub-committee presents payment options to San Juan Island

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that this time around islanders are being asked which of three funding options they prefer.

After all, it was only a year ago in November that voters rejected in overwhelming numbers a set of stormwater fees that had been put in place just 10 months earlier.

That defeat now has San Juan County behind the eight-ball in meeting its Growth Management Act obligations and poised to borrow from its road fund to pay for stormwater projects.

Furthermore, as it turns out, there are about as many ways to collect and pay for stormwater improvement projects as there are counties in Washington state. Same goes for cities and towns, except that property owners in most urban areas of Western Washington pay a great deal more than do their respective county-dwelling neighbors.

For example, in Jefferson County most property owners pay zero in annual fees. However, their neighbors in Port Townsend pay $94.92 a year. Similarly, those in Mount Vernon pay $72.60, while Skagit collects about half that amount from its landowners in the county; (Skagit has numerous drainage districts capable of imposing fees).

In that respect, San Juan, at this juncture, has much in common with its neighboring counties. Unlike property owners in Friday Harbor, who are charged a minimum of $123 a year for managing stormwater runoff within the town, those in the county pay next to nothing in annual fees dedicated solely for stormwater improvement projects.

For some, that's as it should be. At the first of three meetings held last week on San Juan, Lopez and Orcas islands, Gordy Petersen of San Juan said those who benefit from stormwater projects should bear the bulk of the costs. He noted that the majority of the $3.3 million which the county intends to collect and spend on improvement projects over the next five years are slated to take place in Eastsound.

The County Council, Petersen said, would be authorizing a new tax, rather than a fee, by collecting revenue from property owners on San Juan or Lopez in order to pay for Eastsound's improvements.

"There should be a direct benefit for the cost you pay," he said. "Otherwise, it's a tax."

Nevertheless, beginning next year, property owners across the county will likely be assessed a fee of roughly $23, a so-called base rate, to cover yearly expenses of Public Works' stormwater utility. That base rate, according to county officials, should generate about $380,000 a year and pay for planning, engineering, administration, education, billing and collection, among other items.

But the method in which the $3.3 million needed for project construction will be raised has yet to be determined. Gauging islanders' reaction last week to a trio of financing formulas, crafted by a County Council sub-committee, was expected to help council members select among the three.

Council Chairman Howie Rosenfeld said the county would be forced to borrow from the road fund to pay for projects without a fee that can raise the amount needed for construction. Doing nothing, he said, would prompt state sanctions and the likelihood of a ban on building permits in Eastsound.

"To be compliant with the GMA, we have to fund what we said we'd fund," Rosenfeld said.

Depending on the course the council choses, property owners in Eastsound and Lopez Village, unincorporated urban growth areas, could be paying fees on par with those in Seattle. Under the so-called "50-25-25" formula, Eastsound property owners would pay $208 a year while their counterparts in Lopez Village would be assessed $228. They would each pay $103.55 under the "each-island-pays-its-own-way" plan.

The most equitable, according to Councilman Bob Myhr, Lopez/Shaw, is the "all-parcels-share-equally" formula, a $64.45 fee paid by all property owners. The two other methods, he said, would saddle those with the least ability to pay, such as non-profits, affordable housing occupants and many of lower income, with the greatest costs.

"Those who can afford it the least would be hit the hardest," he said. "I've thought from the start that we need to think of this as being a countywide issue, and you never know when one island might need it more than others."

The possibility is good, according to councilman Gene Knapp, Orcas East, that the amount needed for project construction can be scaled back. The $3.3 million, he said, is based on conventional methods of handling water runoff, such as trenches and installation of concrete pipes, and that more low-impact and "greener" approach may well reduce the costs. But for now, he said, the county is stuck a conventional plan already approved by the state.

"The county hopes to do projects for less," Knapp said. "But right now we don't have an engineer to back us up."

*Annual stormwater fees based on SFR on 1/4 acre parcel

Counties:

King: $111

Kitsap: $62.30

Skagit: $36.68

Snohomish: $33.01

Jefferson: $0 (uses development fees)

Whatcom $0 (uses flood district tax)

Island $0 (uses % of real estate excise tax)

San Juan $0

Cities:

Seattle $213

La Conner $138.60

Port Townsend $94.92

Bellingham $84

Mount Vernon $72.60

Burlington $50.64

Anacortes $48

Friday Harbor $123 (minimum)

(50-25-25 proposal) Lopez Village, $228.23; Eastsound, $208.39

Source: Skagit County Public Works

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