City council Tuesday night gave its preliminary approval to a set of rate hikes for storm drainage service in Longmont, with members saying the extra funding will provide needed upgrades to an aging and vulnerable underground drainage system.
The city, Councilmember Polly Christensen said, needs to continue investing in infrastructure to “keep our property safe and all of us safe.”
Assistant City Manager Dale Rademacher told the council some pipes in central Longmont are nearly 100 years old and are made of material that would not be used today. The rate boosts will help the city avoid a situation that occurred in early August when a storm water main collapsed on 15th Avenue and caused a sinkhole, Rademacher said.
“Our goal is to avoid any severe failures … that will cause damage to private property or loss of life,” Rademacher said.
Council approved the rate hikes on first reading and scheduled a public hearing for Oct. 26.
Residents could see storm drainage costs increase 14.2%, 12.1% and 12.9% for 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively. The increase in dollars would be $1.85/month (2022), $1.80/month (2023) and $2.15/month (2024), according to a city staff report.
The rate increase will generate over $4.6 million to manage storm sewer infrastructure, a city staff report states and help the city upgrade or replace storm drainage pipes, culverts, manholes and inlets needing rehabilitation, according to a city fact sheet. Longmont could also improve undersized drainage facilities along with bolstering areas prone to recurring flooding.
