Resident asks council to exempt small roofs from stormwater fee in Ordinance 21-16

Brett Glass told the Laramie City Council during a public-comment period at the council’s goal-setting retreat that the proposed stormwater ordinance (Ordinance 21-16) puts a cap on charges but lacks a basic exemption for small households. Glass said the change would protect residents on fixed incomes from being charged “purely for having the roof over their head.”

Glass, who said he planned to comment during the ordinance’s second reading but had been unable to, proposed an amendment that would exempt the first 1,000 square feet of impervious surface from the stormwater charge. "I'd like to see an amendment which exempts the first, say, 1,000 ... square feet of impervious surface area, from charges," he told the council. He argued the proposal would help preserve affordability for renters and homeowners with small lots while corporations and large properties would still benefit from the existing cap.

Council members did not take formal action on Glass’s request during the retreat. Glass noted the ordinance was scheduled for a second reading; council members and staff said the ordinance and any proposed amendments would be addressed through the stated legislative process. No staff or council response to the specific amendment was recorded during the retreat discussion that followed the public comment.

The retreat record shows the stormwater fee item remains a matter for the formal ordinance process; any change to the fee structure would require an amendment and subsequent council votes in the ordinance readings.