Pursuant to the provisions of Charter Ordinance No. 17, the City of Goddard, Kansas does hereby establish a Stormwater Utility, the purpose of which is to assist the City of Goddard in its responsibility for the operation, construction, maintenance and repair of stormwater drainage system facilities to provide adequate systems of collection, conveyance, detention, treatment and release of stormwater and the reduction of potential hazards to property and life resulting from stormwater runoff, improvement in general health and welfare through reduction of undesirable stormwater conditions and improvements to the water quality in the storm and surface water system and its receiving waters.
The City of Goddard shall be empowered to administer the Stormwater Utility and may delegate such duty and responsibility as is necessary to carry out the provisions of this Ordinance within the limits of the budget, directives and storm drainage regulations adopted by the Governing Body of the City of Goddard for this utility.
The City of Goddard shall adopt an operating budget for each fiscal year. The operating budget shall set forth, for each fiscal year, the estimated revenues and the estimated costs for the stormwater utility. The initial operating budget shall be for the fiscal year commencing January 1, 2025.
(a)There is hereby assessed against all property within the City of Goddard that is connected to either water or sanitary sewer systems, or both, of the City, a monthly stormwater management fee. The owner, occupant and any person who is responsible for the payment of water and/or sewer service to the property shall all be jointly and severally responsible for the payment of said fee. Persons responsible for the payment of water and/or sewer service to the property shall include the person responsible for payment for water provided to a master meter that is then distributed to multiple users, whether or not said users are located on the same property as the master meter. The fee shall be calculated as follows:
(1)All property devoted to a residential use shall be assessed the sum of $3.50 per month per living unit. The term “residential” shall include single-family homes, mobile homes and mobile home parks, duplexes and apartment units. The term “residential” shall not include rooming or boarding houses, dormitories and similar facilities. The term “living unit” shall mean one or more rooms in a residential building which are arranged, designed, used or intended for use by one (1) family, and which includes cooking space and lawful sanitary facilities reserved for the occupants thereof.
(2)All property devoted to any use other than residential shall be assessed the sum of $5.50 per month.
(b)The monthly stormwater utility fees set forth above shall be included as part of the monthly bill for water and/or other utility services of the City, but shall be identified separately on said billing. Said fees shall be due at the same time as water and/or other utility services of the City charges are due and the failure to pay said fees shall be considered a failure to pay utility services of the City charges and enforceable pursuant to Sections 15-119 through 15-121 and Sections 15-311 through 15-314 of the Code of the City of Goddard, Kansas. In addition, any time utility services of the City are established, or re-established to a property, all fees hereunder shall be paid current, as of the date such service is established or re-established.
(c)Stormwater utility fees may be amended from time to time by resolution of the Governing Body of the City of Goddard.
The revenue generated by this stormwater utility fee shall be set aside in a special fund, which is hereby created to be known as the Stormwater Utility Fund. Such funds shall be used only for the construction, reconstruction, maintenance, operation and repair of stormwater system facilities, including the acquisition, and related costs thereof, of real estate for such use. In addition, said fund may be used to pay fees to study and prepare documents related to such facilities, pay costs associated with compliance with stormwater regulations and to make payments of principal and interest on bonds issued for such improvements. Nothing in this Article shall be deemed to limit or restrict the City’s ability to use and obtain other sources of funds for the same or similar purposes.