Laramie City Council To Hold Surface Water Fee Workshop

The Laramie City Council will hold a workshop on revisions to the city's Storm-Surface Water Utility Ordinance on Tuesday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m..

The council last month voted to pause the fee for 120 days, after implementing the fee for the first time in July. The pause was to allow time to develop a new policy after the original fee generated widespread criticism.

The Fee Was Implemented In July

The fee was originally approved in December and went into effect in July. The fee was intended to pay for a new program aimed at  "addressing storm water runoff, minimizing flood risks, and enhancing the resilience of Laramie’s drainage infrastructure" in the words of a news release.

The fee as originally structured was assessed based on  "the amount of impervious surfaces such as rooftops, driveways, and paved areas—that contributes to runoff. The fee structure ensures that funding is distributed equitably based on a property’s contribution to stormwater runoff."

While property owners were charged on the basis of impervious surface area, credits towards the fees were also available based on such things as rain gardens, permeable pavement and detention basins.

While the ordinance is paused, the city council is trying to formulate a new policy on how to pay for addressing storm water runoff.

The Tuesday workshop will also deal with a couple of other topics, the Community Partner Funding Process and Loading and Unloading Zones.