City of Milton Stormwater Utility

    Background
    Implementation Schedule
    Stormwater Utility Advisory Team
    Frequently Asked Questions
    Questions & Answers Video
    Documents & Exhibits
    Contact Information

NEW!!!
The Stormwater Utility Credit Application is available by clicking here. Only multi-family (3+ units), commercial, or industrial uses may apply for a credit.

***UPDATE***
On August 18, 2009, the Common Council passed an ordinance to approve the creation of the stormwater utility and a resolution setting the rates. The stormwater utiltity will be $4.59/month per Equivalent Runoff Unit (ERU). Single family homes are equal to one ERU. If you would like to see what your yearly charge will be, click here to view the data sorted by owner name or here to view the data sorted by parcel id.

Click here to view the ordinance. Click here to view the resolution.

BACKGROUND

The City of Milton is planning the creation of a Stormwater Utility. The Common Council is seeking the creation of a utility by mid-year in 2009, as was called for in the Annual Budget which was passed by the Council on November 18, 2008.

Stormwater Utilities are not uncommon around Wisconsin, but it would be new to the City of Milton. It would operate much like the City’s current water and sewer utilities, which charge users to fund a specific purpose and service.

A little background… When water drains from grassy areas or hard surfaces it collects pollutants, such as soil particles, bacteria, pesticides, litter, fertilizer, pet waste, oil, auto fluids, and so on… These materials flow with stormwater runoff into the City’s storm sewers, which lead for the most part into holding basins and seep into the ground water system. These underground systems are interconnected with larger local bodies of water, such as Storrs Lake and the Rock River.

In Wisconsin, the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is responsible for carrying out new federal regulations handed down as part of the Clean Water Act and other governmental actions. As one might suspect, the DNR then mandates that local communities implement activities to achieve compliance with the broader regulations. So, in addition to the City's current stormwater control practices, the City must now keep even more pollutants from the stormwater runoff. In other words, the City must change the way it deals with stormwater.

As part of new stormwater management requirements, the City will be responsible for a number of different things, including:

Meet regulation requirements by obtaining stormwater discharge permits.
Reduce/monitor pollutants in runoff.
More closely monitor construction sites for compliance with new regulations.
Monitor the stormwater system for illegal connections and discharges.
Update and enforce stricter stormwater ordinances that deal with debris being placed in the streets, and wastes (such as oil) being dumped into the storm sewers.
Inform the public on how they can help reduce stormwater pollution.
Maintain and replace aging or unsuitable storm sewer systems, including City-owned detention basins.

Long story short, the City will need to increase funding to meet these new requirements. That is where a Utility comes into play. A stormwater utility fee is seen by many Wisconsin communities as being more fair because each parcel shares the cost of the services based upon their use of the utility. Therefore, all properties (including tax exempt properties, like school buildings, churches and not-for-profit facilities) will share in the cost of the utility.

IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE

November 2008: Council passed the annual budget for 2009 calling for a Stormwater Utility
January 2009 - June 2009: Stormwater Utility Advisory Team (SUAT) was formed and conducted meetings to discuss the proposals. The engineering process also took place during this time. Baxter & Woodman was hired to conduct the feasibility study.
July 21, 2009: Proposal is presented to council
August 4 and 18, 2009: Possible continued deliberation by Council
August 18, 2009: Council approved the creation of the Stormwater Utility after holding a public hearing.
September 1, 2009: Utility implementation
October 2009: First monthly billing to include Stormwater Utility

STORMWATER UTILITY ADVISORY TEAM (SUAT)

Since January of 2009 a team of individuals from the community, representing various interests, has served in an advisory role as we prepared to create this utility from the ground-up. This group is known as the “Stormwater Utility Advisory Team” (SUAT – pronounced “swat”) and is staffed primarily by the City Administrator, Todd Schmidt, and the Public Works Director, Howard Robinson, along with the City's Consutling Engineers from Baxter & Woodman. The SUAT includes the following representatives:

1 Alderperson from the Common Council
3 Representatives from the Milton Area School District
1 Representative from a City Church
1 Representative from the Not-For-Profit Sector
1 Small-Business Representative (appointed by the Milton Area Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Tourism)
1 Large-Business/Industry Representative (appointed by the Milton Area Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Tourism)
2 Citizen Representatives At-Large

Click here to view copies of all materials that were provided to this group over the course of their six monthly meetings.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Please click here for a list of frequently asked questions about the stormwater utility. These further explain how calculations were made to determine how much each property needs to pay.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS VIDEO

Click here to view a video of a question and answers session about the stormwater utility. When you get to the website, select Stormwater Q&A from the list of meetings available for viewing and then click submit. You will need QuickTime to view the video. A link is provided for you at the site to download the program for free.

DOCUMENTS AND EXHIBITS

DRAFT Feasibility Study Report
Ammended Appendices with the Approved Rates - 9/2/09

Comparison of Stormwater Utilities in Other WI Communities
Brochure about the Stormwater Utility
Click here to explore other documents and exhibits presented to the SUAT committee.
Click here to access the Stormwater Utility Credit Application

CONTACT INFORMATION

City Administrator Todd Schmidt                        Director of Public Works Howard Robinson
430 E. High Street, Suite 3                               430 E. High Street, Suite 3
Milton, WI 53563                                              Milton, WI 53563
Phone: (608) 868-6900 ext. 4                          Phone: (608) 868-6914
E-Mail: tschmidt@ci.milton.wi.us                       E-Mail: hrobinson@ci.milton.wi.us

Project Advisor Kevin W. Sutherland, PE            Project Manager Duane A. Vandermause, PE
Baxter & Woodman, Inc.                                  Baxter & Woodman, Inc.
8678 Ridgefield Road                                       5100 Eastpark Boulevard, Suite 200
Crystal Lake, IL 60012                                     Madison, WI 53718
Office: (815) 459-1260                                     Office: (608) 241-5481
Cell: (815) 482-5544                                        Cell: (608) 215-2676
ksutherland@baxterwoodman.com                  dvandermause@baxterwoodman.com