Oversight Committee for the Water Quality Flood Protection Program

Mission Statement

Ordinance No. 467 states: "An oversight committee (" committee") is created and established. The committee shall hold at least one public hearing and issue a report, on at least an annual basis, to inform city residents and the city council regarding how storm drain user fee revenues are being spent and to make recommendations to the city council regarding future expenditures of the storm drain user fee revenues. In addition, the oversight committee shall make a recommendation to the city council regarding whether to collect the storm drain user fee for the upcoming fiscal year, and, if so, the rate per ERU for that fiscal year. In making its recommendation to the city council, the oversight committee shall consider the current and projected revenues of the city for the upcoming fiscal year, including but not limited to, property taxes, sales taxes and transient occupancy taxes; the current and projected expenditures of the city for the fiscal year, including, but not limited to, proposed expenditures in connection with the city's storm drain system; the balance, if any, in the water quality and flood protection program enterprise fund, and the current and projected general fund reserves. The oversight committee shall forward its report and recommendations to the city council prior to the annual public hearing on the storm drain user fee that will be conducted by the city council. The oversight committee also shall perform other assignments regarding the water quality and flood protection program, as directed by the city council or upon request by staff."

Overview

The Oversight Committee for the Water Quality and Flood Protection (storm drain) Program served to ensure that the Storm Drain User Fee enacted by the vote of the affected property owners in August 2005 is spent for the replacement, refurbishment, repair and maintenance of city-owned storm drain facilities pursuant to the budget adopted by the City Council each fiscal year. The Oversight Committee annually reviewed a comparison of budget v. actual accounting and staff's recommendation regarding the User Fee rate for the forthcoming year. The Oversight Committee forwarded its User Fee rate recommendation to the City Council prior to the annual public hearing expected to be conducted in June each year. Unlike other advisory boards that meet monthly, the Oversight Committee held evening meetings once or twice a month between April and June each year.

Ordinance Establishing Water Quality and Flood Protection Oversight Committee (PDF)