Utility Review

Whenever there is a rainstorm event, parcels within St. Augustine generate runoff that the city infrastructure controls to protect life, preserve property, and maintain the city accessibility to residents and visitors. The city’s infrastructure consists of the following:

• Bulkheads
• Inlets
• Pipes
• Stormwater ponds
• Valves

Impervious Area

Impervious area is defined as the surface within the parcel that does not allow soil infiltration to occur, and includes:

• Driveways
• Patios
• Paved areas
• Roofs
• Sidewalks

Review of Stormwater Utility

The consultant performed a review of the current stormwater utility established in 1993 that set a flat billing unit of 2,000 square feet of impervious area.

The consultant evaluated a residential sample with the use of the latest aerial imagery, assessor’s data and computer geographic systems. The sample showed that in our city there is a disparity between smaller and larger residential homes that provides a basis for a new billing structure. The new billing structure takes advantage of current data to establish a fair and equitable fee structure, where customers have a different billing rate depending on their runoff contribution. Coupled with the financing options proposed to the committee, the consultant identified an $8.3M capital expenditure program for the years 2014 to 2023, including three pilot areas, and a list of 16 neighborhood projects.