Planning commission backs stormwater master plan; staff proposes $6,616 per‑ERU stormwater impact fee
November 16, 2024 | Springville City Council, Springville, Utah County, Utah
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The Springville Planning Commission recommended that the City Council consider the 2024 Stormwater Capital Facilities Plan update and associated impact-fee analysis after a detailed staff presentation on stormwater modeling, deficiencies and projected costs.
Public Works Director Brad Stapley told commissioners the stormwater model uses a 10‑year design standard for pipes and a 25‑year standard for detention basins and draws on NRCS soil classifications; he said roughly 75% of the city's study area is clay, increasing runoff and requiring larger conveyances. "Our basins are set to 25 years," Stapley said. "When we get past the 10‑year storm, those pipes can start to surcharge… in the hundred‑year event, we're all the way up outside of the streets."
Stapley reported system assets of about 51 miles of storm pipeline (12–72 inches) and roughly 1,845 inlets. Staff estimated approximately 14,000 equivalent residential units (ERUs) of growth over the next 10 years and identified approximately $38 million in growth‑related, impact‑fee‑eligible stormwater projects. Separately, staff flagged roughly $5.9 million of deficiency projects that are monitored but not all impact‑fee eligible.
On fees, Stapley presented an impact-fee calculation that would yield $6,616 per ERU for stormwater under the maximum-allowable methodology used in the assessment and recommended that the Planning Commission forward the maximum allowable fee recommendation to the City Council. "That $6,616 is what the analysis shows," he said, adding that construction cost escalation and the city’s flat western topography (with high groundwater) drive Stormville's higher per‑ERU costs relative to slope‑draining neighbors.
Commissioners debated equity (who bears costs), statutory timing (a 90‑day delay typically applies after adoption before fees can be charged), and whether phased increases could be used; Stapley said the analysis is forward‑looking and that revenues cover growth‑related projects, not past deficiencies. Following a motion, the Planning Commission voted to recommend the stormwater capital facilities plan and associated impact‑fee analysis to the City Council.
The recommendation is advisory; City Council action and any implementation timeline will determine whether and when the new fees take effect.
Public Works Director Brad Stapley told commissioners the stormwater model uses a 10‑year design standard for pipes and a 25‑year standard for detention basins and draws on NRCS soil classifications; he said roughly 75% of the city's study area is clay, increasing runoff and requiring larger conveyances. "Our basins are set to 25 years," Stapley said. "When we get past the 10‑year storm, those pipes can start to surcharge… in the hundred‑year event, we're all the way up outside of the streets."
Stapley reported system assets of about 51 miles of storm pipeline (12–72 inches) and roughly 1,845 inlets. Staff estimated approximately 14,000 equivalent residential units (ERUs) of growth over the next 10 years and identified approximately $38 million in growth‑related, impact‑fee‑eligible stormwater projects. Separately, staff flagged roughly $5.9 million of deficiency projects that are monitored but not all impact‑fee eligible.
On fees, Stapley presented an impact-fee calculation that would yield $6,616 per ERU for stormwater under the maximum-allowable methodology used in the assessment and recommended that the Planning Commission forward the maximum allowable fee recommendation to the City Council. "That $6,616 is what the analysis shows," he said, adding that construction cost escalation and the city’s flat western topography (with high groundwater) drive Stormville's higher per‑ERU costs relative to slope‑draining neighbors.
Commissioners debated equity (who bears costs), statutory timing (a 90‑day delay typically applies after adoption before fees can be charged), and whether phased increases could be used; Stapley said the analysis is forward‑looking and that revenues cover growth‑related projects, not past deficiencies. Following a motion, the Planning Commission voted to recommend the stormwater capital facilities plan and associated impact‑fee analysis to the City Council.
The recommendation is advisory; City Council action and any implementation timeline will determine whether and when the new fees take effect.
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