Winona Has First Reading On Stormwater Rate Creation
November 18, 2020 at 2:48 a.m.
By Amanda Bridgman-
The town has never had stormwater utilities and hired Wessler Engineering to conduct a study. That study showed that the average residential Impervious Surface Measurements (ISM) was calculated as 4,153 square feet. The Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) is determined to be 3,800 square feet and that figure will be used to calculate user fees for non-residential properties. Residential properties are assessed 1.0 ERUs, Mary Atkins, vice president at Wessler Engineering, said Tuesday.
The stormwater utility is responsible for the operation, maintenance and management of the town's storm sewer system and funds stormwater management activities by charging user fees to the owner or tenant of each property containing Impervious Surface Area (ISA) within the corporate limits of the town of Winona Lake.
Stormwater utility customers pay user fees. The service that is being provided is the management of stormwater runoff from properties within the town and the activities that the utility is doing throughout the community to manage storm water quantity and quality. Revenues from stormwater user fees are used to pay for capital improvement projects, repair projects and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. O&M costs may include personnel wages and salaries, billing costs, equipment costs, inlet and storm sewer maintenance, ditch maintenance and other support activities.
A public hearing will be held on the matter at 6 p.m. Dec. 1 at Town Hall.
Resident Jerry Nelson chose to voice his concerns Tuesday in front of the council and said he doesn’t think it’s fair for a home that is 1,000 square feet pays the same stormwater rate for a home that is 6,000 square feet.
Nelson said he owns several rental properties in the town and asked for clarification about multi-unit properties, saying he has a three-unit property.
Atkins said that it would be too much for the town to assess stormwater rates based on every property’s square footage, which is why the study did an average for the properties in the town. She further stated that multi-units of four units or more would fall into the category of non-residential and would be individually measured and pay a multiple ERU.
Atkins explained that the stormwater utility can grow as the town grows and the utility fee will provide the town with a steady income. In Indiana, there are at least 70 stormwater utilities, with Atkins saying there’s 100 to 150 or more. The average utility fee is $4 to $6 per month per residential customer, with nonresidential customers paying more than that.
The Council then discussed the effects of COVID-19, including on annual holiday events. The tree lighting ceremony will now be a drive-through light show and toy donation due to the pandemic.
During the Tuesday Town Council meeting, The Village at Winona Manager Nick Hauck said the drive-through ceremony will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28, starting at the chapel parking lot on Park Avenue. Hot chocolate will be handed out to those in cars and signage will be in place to direct traffic around the town to view the light displays placed in various locations.
Hauck said there will be a donation area in the parking collecting for Toys for Tots.
Park Department Director Holly Hummitch also said the annual Kringlefest is off due to COVID, but that a new “Letters to Santa” event is planned to run beginning Monday through Dec. 7. Hummitch posted forms for children to fill out on the Winona Lake Facebook page. Girls and boys can then place those letters in a mailbox for Santa that is outside of Town Hall. Santa will reply with a personalized letter to each child who writes.
Terry White also chimed in during the virtual meeting and said the annual Glad Tidings concert at the Heritage Room will be digital this year, however, details will be forthcoming.
In other business Tuesday, the council:
• Tabled a petition to vacate an alleyway behind 301 Boys City Drive to give council members more time to go out to the area and inspect it.
• Heard from town attorney Adam Turner that Warsaw Community Schools Corporation approved the eastern residential development area TIF district. One of the things that means for the partnership with the town and WCS is that the town will help WCS with up-front costs on capital project improvements.
The town is expanding development at the old Raccoon Run golf course with homes and water lines. That influx of residents will equate to more students at Jefferson Elementary School, a WCS school located in Winona Lake. One of the first promises made by the town to WCS is to help them with a new gymnasium floor at Jefferson, and to also have town engineers sit down and draw up plans for a more efficient and spacious parent pick-up area.
Turner said the understanding between the town and WCS means they will have an ongoing conversation throughout the years with what WCS is experiencing and keep WCS in the loop on what the town is experiencing with their expansion.
Council President Rick Swaim thanked the council and the WCS school board for their hard work and cooperation in bettering the town of Winona Lake.
WCS board member Jeremy Mullins voiced his support for the move during Tuesday’s meeting.
“My family and I live in Winona Lake and we want to see the community successful, Winona Lake, Warsaw, Kosciusko County as a whole, everywhere ... so, we’re behind it 100%,” Mullins said.
• Heard from Town Marshal Joe Hawn that the new e-bike has been ordered for the department thanks to a grant from the K21 Foundation, and that the department also received a grant from KCODE that will provide a K9 ballistics vest.
• Heard from street superintendent Tom Miller that his staff has been inundated with leaves and they will get them all cleaned up until the weather stops them from doing so.
Miller also called the department’s newest Ford F-550 pickup they purchased last year a “problem child,” saying they had to take the truck back to Rice Ford and have the transmission replaced.
The next Winona Lake Town Council meeting is 6 p.m. Dec. 15 via Zoom. An agenda will be posted at winonalake.net with the Zoom information.
The town has never had stormwater utilities and hired Wessler Engineering to conduct a study. That study showed that the average residential Impervious Surface Measurements (ISM) was calculated as 4,153 square feet. The Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) is determined to be 3,800 square feet and that figure will be used to calculate user fees for non-residential properties. Residential properties are assessed 1.0 ERUs, Mary Atkins, vice president at Wessler Engineering, said Tuesday.
The stormwater utility is responsible for the operation, maintenance and management of the town's storm sewer system and funds stormwater management activities by charging user fees to the owner or tenant of each property containing Impervious Surface Area (ISA) within the corporate limits of the town of Winona Lake.
Stormwater utility customers pay user fees. The service that is being provided is the management of stormwater runoff from properties within the town and the activities that the utility is doing throughout the community to manage storm water quantity and quality. Revenues from stormwater user fees are used to pay for capital improvement projects, repair projects and operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. O&M costs may include personnel wages and salaries, billing costs, equipment costs, inlet and storm sewer maintenance, ditch maintenance and other support activities.
A public hearing will be held on the matter at 6 p.m. Dec. 1 at Town Hall.
Resident Jerry Nelson chose to voice his concerns Tuesday in front of the council and said he doesn’t think it’s fair for a home that is 1,000 square feet pays the same stormwater rate for a home that is 6,000 square feet.
Nelson said he owns several rental properties in the town and asked for clarification about multi-unit properties, saying he has a three-unit property.
Atkins said that it would be too much for the town to assess stormwater rates based on every property’s square footage, which is why the study did an average for the properties in the town. She further stated that multi-units of four units or more would fall into the category of non-residential and would be individually measured and pay a multiple ERU.
Atkins explained that the stormwater utility can grow as the town grows and the utility fee will provide the town with a steady income. In Indiana, there are at least 70 stormwater utilities, with Atkins saying there’s 100 to 150 or more. The average utility fee is $4 to $6 per month per residential customer, with nonresidential customers paying more than that.
The Council then discussed the effects of COVID-19, including on annual holiday events. The tree lighting ceremony will now be a drive-through light show and toy donation due to the pandemic.
During the Tuesday Town Council meeting, The Village at Winona Manager Nick Hauck said the drive-through ceremony will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28, starting at the chapel parking lot on Park Avenue. Hot chocolate will be handed out to those in cars and signage will be in place to direct traffic around the town to view the light displays placed in various locations.
Hauck said there will be a donation area in the parking collecting for Toys for Tots.
Park Department Director Holly Hummitch also said the annual Kringlefest is off due to COVID, but that a new “Letters to Santa” event is planned to run beginning Monday through Dec. 7. Hummitch posted forms for children to fill out on the Winona Lake Facebook page. Girls and boys can then place those letters in a mailbox for Santa that is outside of Town Hall. Santa will reply with a personalized letter to each child who writes.
Terry White also chimed in during the virtual meeting and said the annual Glad Tidings concert at the Heritage Room will be digital this year, however, details will be forthcoming.
In other business Tuesday, the council:
• Tabled a petition to vacate an alleyway behind 301 Boys City Drive to give council members more time to go out to the area and inspect it.
• Heard from town attorney Adam Turner that Warsaw Community Schools Corporation approved the eastern residential development area TIF district. One of the things that means for the partnership with the town and WCS is that the town will help WCS with up-front costs on capital project improvements.
The town is expanding development at the old Raccoon Run golf course with homes and water lines. That influx of residents will equate to more students at Jefferson Elementary School, a WCS school located in Winona Lake. One of the first promises made by the town to WCS is to help them with a new gymnasium floor at Jefferson, and to also have town engineers sit down and draw up plans for a more efficient and spacious parent pick-up area.
Turner said the understanding between the town and WCS means they will have an ongoing conversation throughout the years with what WCS is experiencing and keep WCS in the loop on what the town is experiencing with their expansion.
Council President Rick Swaim thanked the council and the WCS school board for their hard work and cooperation in bettering the town of Winona Lake.
WCS board member Jeremy Mullins voiced his support for the move during Tuesday’s meeting.
“My family and I live in Winona Lake and we want to see the community successful, Winona Lake, Warsaw, Kosciusko County as a whole, everywhere ... so, we’re behind it 100%,” Mullins said.
• Heard from Town Marshal Joe Hawn that the new e-bike has been ordered for the department thanks to a grant from the K21 Foundation, and that the department also received a grant from KCODE that will provide a K9 ballistics vest.
• Heard from street superintendent Tom Miller that his staff has been inundated with leaves and they will get them all cleaned up until the weather stops them from doing so.
Miller also called the department’s newest Ford F-550 pickup they purchased last year a “problem child,” saying they had to take the truck back to Rice Ford and have the transmission replaced.
The next Winona Lake Town Council meeting is 6 p.m. Dec. 15 via Zoom. An agenda will be posted at winonalake.net with the Zoom information.
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