A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE FINANCE AND CITYWIDE PROJECTS COMMITTEE AT ITS SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 MEETING, TO ENGAGE A RATE CONSULTANT TO ASSIST THE CITY IN DEVELOPING MONTHLY USER FEES FOR STORMWATER SYSTEM "TIE-INS," FOR PROPERTIES (OTHER THAN SINGLE FAMILY HOMES) THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY MAINTAINING THEIR OWN STORMWATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ON-SITE AND CONNECT TO THE CITY'S STORMWATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO HANDLE THEIR STORMWATER VOLUME.

A stormwater management fee was contemplated as part of the drainage connection permit provided to commercial properties that are tied into the City’s stormwater system. Currently, this fee has not been established. However, the runoff shed by these properties flows into the City’s system which results in costs to the City’s stormwater enterprise fund. These costs include operational and maintenance expenses as well as the added capital costs due to capacity constraints.

There are only a few properties that fall into this category. These commercial properties deferred any upfront capital expenses required to retain their stormwater onsite. A dedicated stormwater management fee would offset the costs incurred by the City for these commercial properties.

City staff recommended referring this item to the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee for concurrence in developing a commercial property stormwater connection and usage fee that accurately captures the costs associated with these tie-ins. The City has historically engaged a rate consultant to establish reasonable fees for such purpose and is prepared to move in that direction.

At its September 20, 2019 meeting, the Finance and Citywide Projects Committee made a motion to proceed with engaging a rate consultant to determine the value of these tie-ins for commercial properties that are not currently maintaining their own stormwater in order to develop a monthly fee for these properties.