Fort Walton Beach Council agenda — 05-08-2007 regular agenda — reading text

Informal Surveys Briefing Documents Interactive Website and Hotline To keep officials informed and prepared for m their constituents at the questionsf[() Website Surveys various meetings, Earth Tech will prepare a seriefSof<short one- to two- page Briefing Documents" that are designed to be a quick read about key decisions or concepts about the stormwater utility. Community Interviews Earth Tech proposes to conduct a series of " community interviews", where memberfS of our team will sit one- on- one with key members of the community usually around 10) to discuss the planning of the stormwater utility. We have found these discussions accomplish two things: II We get a " pulse of the community" and their issues/ concerns that allows us to anticipate potential problemsahead of time by telling us about the level of community knowledge and concern about stormwater issues and their possible reaction to the concept of a stormwater utility user fee.  Engineering/Consulting Services, Stormwater Utility Study, RFP 07- 113 We build bridges between these individui3lsandthecomrnunity that result in support Or, i3t a . minimum, an understaigofhepr!; jrarn, which often defuses confrontation down the road. We blishthe best methods ci3ni3lsoesti;\ to keep the community informed and involved as the utility is implemented. 5.4 Conduct Hall Meetings and Open Earth Tech proposes to conduct up to three ( 3) Town t-li3l' v1e tings/ Open House type meetings that will be " hosted" by electedofficialsifrornbottlcommunities who will personi3lize. invitations to their constituents. City staff win be responsible for reserving Toomsfor the meetings. Earth Tech willproyi.depresentations, displays, and handouts as determined appropriate by Earth Tech and staff. Information Distribution Network Earth Tech will leverage the Public Outreach Ci3mpaign by taking advantage of multiple outlets for the distribution of information that couldiconsist of: Website - linked to the City' s website for posting otmeeting notices and · information on general stormwater and specifically inforrnation regarding the stormwater utility. Public Centers - that could be used to post notices and literature, such as libraries and other public buildings. for distributing information slJcha~ Secondary. Distribution - community newsletters, websites, Chamber of i. COrnrnen:;e pamphlets and website, and bulletin boards thi3t can be uSed to post meeting notices and information about the stormwater utility. Task 6. 0 Datallnformation Collection 6. 1 Data Collection Earth Tech will compile a list of data needed to construcfi3legi3I1Y defensible and equitable stormwater utility billing system. The list will consist oOhe needed data and the source or sources from which the inforrnationwill be obtained. This includes: the Okaloosa County Assessor's data ( which will inventory all of the stormwater utility customers); the City' s and Okaloosa County' s GIS ( which contains parcel outlines and planimetric information on building but no pavement outlines for determining impervious areas); aerial photographs ( which will bring the billing files up- to-date as of April 2005). Earth Tech will review the City' s filing system for site plans and as- built drawings to determine their accessibility. To achieve this, the Earth Tech Team will build on all of the reports, GIS/database development that has been completed to date. These include but are not limited to: City' s annual budget  Engineering/ Consulting Services, Stormwater Utility Study, RFP 07- 113 II CitY'$ NPPES $tormwater permit II CitY'$ capital improvement list II CitY'$ CRA Plan II NFWMP- Choctawhatchee River and Bay System Surface Water Improvement andM3<nagem nt Plan USEPA - Choctawhatchee Bay TMDL II Choctawhatchee Bay Watershed Water Quality Assessment Task 7. 0 Workshops and Hearings Presentations, Meetings and Open Houses Earth Tech will conduct up to four ( 4) Public Meetings, Town Hall Meetings and Open H9uses, to civic organizations and . th.e .. general public. Two pre$ entatiom,/meetings will be in direct support of theiapproval process of the ordinance( s) e$tabli$ hing the stormwater utility. Therernaining two meetings will be conducted to educate the community about the new stormwater user fee and the CitY'$ istormwater management program. Task 8. 0 Technical Assessment Committee Workshops Work$hOP$ will be conducted with staff and the Technical A$sessment Committee toqiscus$ and recommend policies, options, and alternatives. Workshops build support and often result in creative solutions unique to that community. Committee members also function as advocate$ fortheprogra.m because they have invested their time to shape the program. Duringthefir$tfQur to five months whenpolicie$ are being developed we would propose CQnductingworkshops every two to three weeks. Once the project moves intomoreofthe implementation phase, meeting agendas become more of a status report and the frequency of the meetings can likely be reduced to monthly. 8. 1 TAC Workshops Earth Tech will conduct five ( 5) workshops with key staff and managers to review and discuss the various options, concepts and pOlicies that will result in the most fair, equitable and legally defensible rate structure. The tentative agendas for the workshops are shown below. Workshop 1 Topic: Discussion of stormwater "needs" WorkshQp 2 Topic: Understanding of the cost of the services Workshop 3 Topic: Alternative funding strategies WQrkshop 4 Topic: Alternative rate structures and special considerations Workshop 5 Topic: Credit policy and other issues  Engineering/Consulting Services, Stormwater Utility Study, RFP 07- 113 Background The City of FortWalton Beach is a community of about 20, 800 located on the Gulf Coast. ofNorthwest .Florida. As the community is aware, th~i. prosp~ rityof Fort Walton Beach is in so many W<3.ys Hnked to its proximity to ChoctaWhatchee Bay, Santa Rosa Sound, and the GulfofMexico. Choctawhatchee Bay and Sant<3. RosaS9undarewhite sandy, shallow, blue~green and turqu9isewaters fading to greenish~brown expanses of brackish water with the presence pf sea and marsh grasses. Sand bars, mud flats, and beds. of sea~grass are home to schools of mullet, fl9under, blue crabs, redfish, speckled trout, SP<3. nishml<ck:erel, grouper, and the snapper series. These waters offer a rich, benefits and numerous recreational opportunities At. th~ isametime, the community exists as an enclave of the. expansive Eglin Air Force 6ase. The professional and service supporttotheAlrForce at Eglin and at I large degree relied on workersfr9mFortvvalton Beach and HurlburtField has to <: the other local communities in Okaloosa County, all of whom enjoy and respect the great natural resources of our local waters. With the expected arrival of additional Air Force and Army elements ( resulting from BaseR~alignment and Closure ( BRAG) initiatives} thepo ulatio1! of Fort Walt9n Beach <: Ind the other communities in Okaloosa County are expected to increase significantly. along with the demand on the community' ssuPP9rting. infrastructure including stormwater management). To this end, the overalL quality of the community faces significant challenges, especil<:ly when . considering that an incre<ls:ing tourism industry alone continues to drive population growth in Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa County. This is a tr~ndwhichisexpected to continue to pose a daunting challenge in protecting local natural resources. With this increased development has come an increase in the amount of pollutants carried into the bay by stormwater runoff, which is beHeved>tobeone of the major causes responsible for the decline in water quality and. increased frequency of algal blooms, red tides, and decline in seagrass, the blue crab, and oyster populations. These conditions have increased the concern regarding the long~term sustainabilityof the Choctawhatchee Ecosystem and the economic implications that itmight have on the City of Fort Walt9n. Beach. .>During the update of the City' s Visioning and Strategic Plan in 2003. the citizens of Fort Walton Beach ranked the impact of stormwater on the water quality of choctawhatchee Bay as one of the top concerns and called for the pr9motion of " the highest level of environmental quality within the City". The City Council has moved forward in  Engineering/ Consulting Services, Stormwater Utility Study, RFP 07- 113 addres$ingthe water quality concerns by adopting a6- Point Approach to eliminate potential sources of pollution entering Choctawhatchee Bay, consisting of: 1. Adopt ordinance requiring the abandonment of all septic systems. 2. Require all commercial marinas operating in the City to install sewage pump- out facilities. 3. Establish a staff position for environmental protection. 4. Demand that the Department of Environmental Protection enforce all State and Federal water quality standards in and around Fort Walton Beach. 5. Adopt a resolution outlining the City' s objectives for the Water Quality Improvements. 6. Have the City lead the way on restricting the use of those pollutants that can get into our surface water. The City has recently entered into partnership with. the Ghoctawhatchee Basin Alliance to assist with meeting the City' s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ( NPDES) stormwater management requirements. Stormwater Management in Fort Walton Beach The City of Fort Walton Beach is a full service government providing a whole range . of municipal services that includesstoflllwater. ..managelllent. The Stormwater Division within the City' Utilities Department s is responsible for providing stormwater services. The Stormwater Division currently consists only of capital improvement projects. However, the Public Works Department is currently responsible for maintaining the City' s: 34 miles of storm drains, 61 outfall pipes, 11 Stormwater ponds 3 miles of ditches and streams II 1, 300 curb and surface inlets Much of the system is aging and made up of old corrugated metal pipes that are rusted . and in need of repair. The health of Santa Rosa Sound and Choctawhatchee Bay defines much what can be described as the " quality of life" and economic thE'.! . success of the City of Fort Walton Beach. Therefore, there is the greatest interest among the community stakeholders, elected officials and residents, to assume leadership and provide direction regarding the management of the Gommunity' s stormwater. In September 2006, voters rejected an additional penny s(ilestax that would have funded, at an estimated $ 17. 2 million over five years, replacement of aging infrastructure and