Mr. Blazak introduced each of the Board members.
Also present: Bryan Blazak, Town Council Liaison, Bob Valois, Staff Liaison, Joseph Wiszowaty, Town Manager, Jason Dravet, and Jonathan Dykstra, Robinson Engineering.
Each member provided a short synopsis of their background and their vision for the Board.
Mr. Manousopoulos made a motion to nominate Joseph Gomeztagle for Vice President. Mr. Csanyi seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously with 3 ayes and 0 nays.
Staff
Mr. Wiszowaty informed the Board that the Town Council approved Robinson Engineering as the Storm Water Management engineering firm. Robinson Engineering will be working with Cender Dalton to conduct a study and provide a report to the Board to determine what assessments are associated with Storm Water Management. He introduced the engineer, Jonathan Dykstra, who then proceeded to provide his background and experience. He explained the kickoff meeting and how Cender Dalton has laid the groundwork and schedule in relation to the Storm Water Utility fee. Mr. Wiszowaty explained there are items that need to be coordinated with regards to planning and development.
Mr. Wiszowaty thanked each of the members for volunteering their time to serve on the Board.
Bob Valois, the Staff Liaison, explained that the Town is up to date on the Notice of Intent (NOI), following an audit. The corrections have been made and submitted to IDEM.
Member – Joseph Gomeztagle
Mr. Gomeztagle asked about the minutes of meetings. Mr. Wiszowaty responded that the minutes will be done by Anastasia Lowery.
Mr. Gomeztagle also asked about virtual attendance, if needed. Mr. Manousopoulos responded that the virtual attendance was allowed during the emergency period, but has since lapsed. The Board discussed the possibility and options for virtual attendance. Mr. Dravet explained there is an Ordinance for Virtual Meetings and a discussion ensued with regards to process per the Ordinance.
Mr. Gomeztagle asked about attorney representation for the Board. Mr. Wiszowaty explained that it would be the Town Attorney, if necessary.
Respectfully Submitted:
Anastasia Lowery, Recording Secretary
St. John Board of Storm Water Management
Approved This 17th Day of August, 2022:
___________________________________
Robert Csanyi, Board of Storm Water Management, President
Also present: Bryan Blazak, Town Council Liaison and Bob Valois, Staff Liaison. Joseph Wiszowaty, Town Manager, was absent.
The compliance obligations developed from the Clean Water Act of 1977, Title 13 of the Indiana Code, Articles 5 and 15 of Title 327 of the Indiana Administrative Code and the additional rules adopted by the Environmental Rules Board. The Compliance Obligations include compliance, implementation of appropriate Stormwater management measures, and demonstrating and reporting that Stormwater discharges are meeting numeric and narrative water quality standards to the Maximum Extent Practicable (MEP).
The MS4 general permit follows a five (5) year cycle and has a 44 page document of requirements for implementation. The current general permit expires in December 2026 and is administered by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). The general permit requires various minimum control measures, MS4 specific reporting, annual reporting, ordinances, audits with the IDEM staff, and the notice of intent for permit renewal.
Mr. Valois stated that the Town started an MS4 program back in 2003, but it is now his role to work on the program. Mr. Dravet added that the Town has not had, until recently, an official MS4 coordinator or operator.
Mr. Gomeztagle asked about the status of any audits. Mr. Valois responded that there was an audit in July. Mr. Gomeztagle asked Mr. Valois to share the audit requirements and results with the Board members. Mr. Gomeztagle suggested inviting the public to hear a presentation as well as developers. Mr. Dykstra added that it would be part of the training as it would include more than just the Town staff, but would include the public, developers and contractors. Mr. Csanyi suggested sending information with the water bills and posting it on the Town website. Mr. Manousopoulos asked if Mr. Valois will be permanently assigned to MS4 for the Town. Mr. Valois responded that it is his role and something he wants to do and may grow a team of members. Mr. Dravet confirmed that the presentation would be posted on the Town’s website as an exhibit.
Respectfully Submitted:
Anastasia Lowery, Recording Secretary
St. John Board of Storm Water Management
Approved This 7th Day of September, 2022:
___________________________________
Robert Csanyi, Board of Storm Water Management, President
Also present: Joseph Wiszowaty, Town Manager, Bryan Blazak, Town Council Liaison, Bob Valois, Staff Liaison, and Trista Hudson, Cender Dalton
07-20-2022 Special Meeting Minutes
08-17-2022 Regular Meeting Minutes
Mr. Manousopoulos made a motion to approve the 07-20-2022 special meeting minutes. Mr. Gomeztagle seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously 3/0.
Mr. Manousopoulos made a motion to approve the 08-17-2022 meeting minutes. Mr. Gomeztagle seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously 3/0.
The exhibits attached, starting on page 4, Exhibit A, lists the Property Class Code, as kept by the Lake County Auditor’s Office. The Property Class Code is the statewide system to identify various types of property use. Based on the number provided by Mr. Gomeztagle from the St. John Township Assessor’s Office, there are 5,967 parcels in the boundaries of the Town. The jurisdiction, that the department of Storm Water Management has, is the entire boundary of the Town.
Page 6, Exhibit B contains a five (5) year outlook of what the budget categories could be, which will be distinguished later in the discussion.
Moving on to Page 7, Exhibit C, is a listing of four (4) different proposed options of rates to be considered. The Board can make a rate structure of their own, but the structure presented was created within the study. The monthly fee is the third number from the right and they are different across the various categories, but there is some organization to them as industrial and commercial will always be higher than residential. She described the various differences.
Page 8, Exhibit D provides an illustration on how adopting each of the four options as revenue would correlate to the different budgeted items from the previous exhibit.
Moving to the last three (3) pages in the packet, the Appendix, was generated by Robinson Engineering to address what is required for MS4 and storm water expenses. When discussing MS4, Ms. Hudson is referring to the IDEM regulations, as well as Federal, State and Local requirements. When discussing storm water, she is referring to the drainage of the run-off from land and the impervious surfaces.
After discussions with Public Works, Robinson created a proposed budget of operational items for one (1) year for both MS4 and storm water, as shown in Appendix A-1. At the top, O&M Storm Water Infrastructure, a category of day-to-day budgetary type items is suggested and Ms. Hudson read off some of the items. The reason for including this kind of operational expense in this budget is to ensure the fees cover all activity and expense related to MS4 activity and the revenue should match the expense. Although Robinson set these budget numbers, the Board would decide whether the amounts match the needs. The Board needs to start with the most basic expenses to be covered and determine what rate would cover that need. It could be a multi-step process, e.g., establishing an initial rate to get it started, then revisiting it in one (1) or two (2) years. The MS4 compliance expense totaling $224,000, is a list of items that Robinson and Public Works had identified, based on compliance regulations that should be completed, in addition to some repeating inspections required quarterly and such. Ms. Hudson referenced notations in parentheses, on the document assigning responsibility for some of the expenses. The Other section relates to storm water drainage structure type items, which total $930,300.
On Appendix A-2, listed are Equipment related items that both MS4 and storm water activities would use. The Department Share column is an indication of the sharing across departments, e.g., Public Works, MS4 and storm water. The Useful Life column discusses, in years, how much life a vehicle or piece of equipment would have left in it. For budgeting purposes, on a five, ten, fifteen year capital rolling plan, as they come to the end of their useful life, if it is in the plan, and we don’t replace it that year, the money will be saved and built in the cash balance until replaced. The ideal goal is the ability to pay cash for the replacement, as opposed to taking out some kind of debt, loan or lease. Robinson provided a total of $825,000 as the value of all of the equipment. Mr. Valois stated that the Town is possibly looking at purchasing a new sewer vac and the camera truck is currently shared with Schererville, splitting the cost.
A discussion on the types and use of the sewer vac equipment followed.
After evaluating the numbers on the page, the $313,000 is what is needed on an annual basis to build up that cash balance for future replacement and invest in the two (2) newer items suggested. Mr. Blazak asked about the normal useful life of the equipment to which Mr. Valois responded that the Town takes very good care of their equipment so they last longer.
The last page, Appendix A-3 sets out one of the numbers on the earlier budget, which is the actual infrastructure flood control related items. Some of the projects have been named, until you get toward the bottom of the list. Projects are based on experience and what is known about the age of the different infrastructure in Town. The top projects are listed based on items that Public Works and the previous engineering firm discussed and had some estimated costs evaluated with each. Robinson has taken those numbers to adjust for inflation and the current price of materials now, which are higher. So they feel these estimates are pretty solid. The projects listed in 2023 were identified as being the most emergent ones that were necessary. At the bottom of each year’s column, those values fluctuate a little bit, which is why an average is used. The averaging of it allows the Town to plan better. This first year, 2023, if the Town was able to complete and pay for all of the projects, there would be a surplus, and the remaining cash balance could be used for other projects the following year.
Mr. Gomeztagle asked about the number of parcels being reported in the study and asked if that information was gained from the auditor’s office. Ms. Hudson responded that Mr. Gomeztagle provided the list to her. Mr. Gomeztagle said that he got the numbers from the Township, which is the actual numbers that are in the books for the Town of St. John and nothing else.
Ms. Hudson stated that whatever fee is decided, it is suggested that the billing would run through the property tax bill from the Treasury Department. Between now and the end of October, the Town has to return to the Auditor, a listing of the parcels that they say are in St. John, and the fee to assign to those parcels. At that point, it is the list from the Auditor’s office. Mr. Gomeztagle continued to address the parcel count differences. He also reported on his actions taken with the county regarding the taxing structure changes. Mr. Valois asked if Hanover Township would also be included. Ms. Hudson clarified that it would only include the Town boundaries. Mr. Gomeztagle added that the community should be aware of any increases. Mr. Manousopoulos asked if this affects the TIF districts. Ms. Hudson responded that it is a totally separate fee and that it is important to call it a fee, not a tax. It is a fee on the people using the ability of the Town to take care of the storm water issues for compliance or drainage. The Town gets 100% of the fees collected. The Board would need to decide on the actions to be taken, if the fee is not paid. The budget presented does represent 100% collection, but the collection rate is important.
Part of the County’s process is that fees can be added as long as the Town follows their billing cycle. They will bill, collect and send a separate check for the fees back to the Town two (2) times per year, in June and December. The County won’t lump the fees with any property tax collected and the Auditor does not impose any fee for the service to do it. If it comes time to file liens for people that haven’t paid, then there are some fees. Mr. Gomeztagle added that if the community is provided the education on the process, the Town would not have an issue collecting the fee.
Mr. Csanyi asked if Ms. Hudson had a summary of the storm water fees being imposed by the adjacent communities. Ms. Hudson responded that she has some comparisons and distributed a copy to the members. She noted that the document represents various fee structures across Lake County and continued to describe the varieties. Mr. Gomeztagle brought up the developers bringing in smaller lot sizes versus the larger older lots which affects the amount of storm water on each. He added that the general public would begin comparing lot sizes and questioning the amount of the fee. A discussion of the possible public responses continued. Mr. Manousopoulos brought up a storm water fee to the developers, to which Mr. Valois responded there is already a fee, but could not recall the amount. Ms. Hudson said that her understanding is their fee is for the inspections during the construction phase, ensuring their equipment is appropriate to meet compliance. Mr. Manousopoulos asked if the Town has an MS4 permit. Mr. Valois responded that the permits are applied through IDEM and the Town files a Notice of Intent. Mr. Wiszowaty added that discussions are taking place about starting a non-reverting fund for a permit fee so it is set aside specifically for storm water management. Right now the fee goes into the general fund, according to the Clerk-Treasurer. Further discussion about the fund for the permit fees continued.
Ms. Hudson referred to Page 6 – Exhibit B and how the numbers flow back into what the operational expenses would be, and ran down the list of the expenses previously discussed and how the budget was derived. Ms. Hudson noted the average is about $1.350 million. On Page 7 – Exhibit C provides collections for each of the rate options. When starting to think about what the Board believes a fair rate would be, it is appropriate to keep in mind what the expenses are that the Board is trying to cover. The expenses list could be adjusted as necessary which could affect which fee rate is suitable. Ms. Hudson added that it is appropriate to reevaluate in a year or two, but not adjust the rate every year.
Page 8 provides the options as total revenues across the top with a listing of the expenses from the previous page, and the last line provides the result for each option. Ms. Hudson addressed the results and possible scenarios to work with each option.
Ms. Hudson brought the Board back to the first couple of pages in the document noting that it explains what the purpose of the report is. It sets out a generalized list of items that can be covered under the expenses. Page 3 explains some of the topics discussed, e.g., property class code and the Lake County property tax billing system, for reference. One of the things to consider, that is not listed, is the non-collection matter. It would be suitable, when a fee is decided, to include on the ordinance, the consequence for failure to pay the storm water fee on the tax bill. The County’s process is to hold the amount over to the next year, and assess a delinquent penalty. There is a process by where the Town puts together a delinquent list to lien the property, if decided, which involves a $50.00 fee to the Recorder’s Office. The Town would lien the property, and if the person were to sell, recoup the money at the sale. Another option is to leave it on the bill and hope they pay it the next time without intervening in any kind of lien process. State statute also dictates the amount of percentage of delinquency that the Town can apply. Ms. Hudson offered her advice to select Option D, due to the necessary projects and the compliance requirement, as it covers the expenses listed. Ms. Hudson added that the Town Council is set, by advertised public notice, to review the information at the Council meeting next week. Ms. Hudson suggested the Board reconvene sometime in the following week and decide on a recommendation for the fee structure. Ms. Hudson would present a resolution, include the recommendation per values and write them for the Council to consider at their meeting in the last week of September, to pass the necessary ordinance to accomplish the Board’s goals. The Board will have the opportunity to hear any public comments made at the Council meeting. Mr. Manousopoulos asked of the fee had been advertised. Mr. Wiszowaty responded that the public notice was sent out advertising the maximum rate amount. Ms. Hudson stated that the Town needs to have the information to Lake County by Friday, October 29th to meet the next tax bill. Mr. Gomeztagle asked if there could be a general educational program for the public. Mr. Valois responded that it can’t happen because of the timing.
Mr. Wiszowaty asked the Board to decide on a meeting date and time. They did not settle on the date.
Respectfully Submitted:
Anastasia Lowery, Recording Secretary
St. John Board of Storm Water Management
Approved This 27th Day of September, 2022:
___________________________________
Robert Csanyi, Board of Storm Water Management, President
Also present: Bryan Blazak, Town Council Liaison, Bob Valois, Staff Liaison, Jason Dravet, and Trista Hudson, Cender Dalton. Joseph Wiszowaty, Town Manager was absent.
Mr. Gomeztagle asked about the minutes from the last meeting as this topic is amended to what was discussed at the last meeting. He stated that unless they have the minutes, the meeting stops at this point and cannot move forward. He requested they hold another special meeting to start fresh. He added that the Board needs to have people understand that it is a good process. Mr. Csanyi stated that the minutes had not been provided. Mr. Dravet reported that the minutes have not yet been fully generated.
Mr. Gomeztagle made a recommendation to stop the meeting until the Board sees the minutes, so they could start to look at what this amendment is all about, although they did receive something. Mr. Gomeztagle made a motion to stop until they receive the minutes from the last meeting, review the minutes and the amendment. He added that they could then talk some sense. Mr. Dravet added that the Board cannot approve minutes at a special meeting and only at a regular meeting. Mr. Gomeztagle said that he still wants to see the minutes because the minutes have to do with the amendment.
Mr. Manousopoulos clarified that the Board is amending what the Board discussed last time. He said that Mr. Gomeztagle would like to review exactly what was said on record before the Board starts talking about amending the storm water rate report. Mr. Dravet asked if the Board could consider this a start as the brand new report and forget everything that happened previously. Mr. Manousopoulos asked Mr. Gomeztagle if he was asking for a motion to adjourn.
Ms. Hudson asked for recognition to comment. She addressed Mr. Gomeztagle to say she prepared the amended rate study report and is happy to answer any questions about the changes, if it would assist in today’s conversation. Mr. Gomeztagle voiced his appreciation of her offer, but if he had some minutes in front of him from last time, he could review it, as well as the dialogue the Board had, to start to move forward. He continued to say that if he doesn’t have that here, this is a bad way of starting something good for the community. But at the same time it would be something bad if they look at this and then the community looks at them, because they’re a pretty well informed and fluent community that will start asking everyone questions about this. Ms. Hudson reminded the Board that there is a time-crunch as far as the County billing cycle goes, which is why she was offering assistance. Mr. Gomeztagle stated that haste makes waste and added that he’d be tarred and feathered by the community that the Board represents. He added that they’ve already waited this long.
Mr. Csanyi stated that he had some questions that he wanted to bring forth, but now there’s a motion on the table and asked if he could still have his questions answered. Mr. Manousopoulos responded that a motion had not been made but the question posed. He added that he would support whatever the other Board members would like to do. He suggested skipping over Agenda item No. 4A. Old Business, and if Mr. Csanyi has some questions answered without actually taking action on Agenda item No. 4A, then he is good with it.
Mr. Manousopoulos made a motion to table consideration of the Amended Storm Water Rate Study Report rate options. Mr. Dravet reminded the Board that if they table the topic, related discussion cannot continue. Ms. Hudson suggested concluding the meeting, then moving to a study session to discuss the questions. Mr. Dravet stated that a study session had not been noticed. Mr. Gomeztagle responded that type of suggestion should have been made by the Board and that the Board needs to have rules set in place, otherwise, the Board leaves themselves open for any little thing, especially when they talk about rates or anything. Mr. Dravet suggested opening a discussion for Agenda item No. 4A., then at the end of the discussion, the Board could make a motion to table it or defer it to the next meeting.
Respectfully Submitted:
Anastasia Lowery, Recording Secretary
St. John Board of Storm Water Management
Approved This 27th Day of September, 2022:
___________________________________
Robert Csanyi, Board of Storm Water Management, President
Also present: Bryan Blazak, Town Council Liaison, Joseph Wiszowaty, Town Manager, and Bob Valois, Staff Liaison.
A. 09-07-2022 Special Meeting Minutes
B. 09-22-2022 Special Meeting Minutes
Mr. Manousopoulos made a motion to approve the 09-07-2022 Special Meeting Minutes. Mr. Gomeztagle seconded the motion. The motion carried with 3 ayes and 0 nays.
Mr. Gomeztagle asked to make a statement before moving forward. He stated that after the meeting on the 22nd, he said he received a call from Mr. Blazak. He continued to say, in the spirit of transparency, with anything that happens in the meetings, there are no ethical issues. He asked Mr. Blazak for the purpose of the call. Mr. Blazak responded that Mr. Manousopoulos went over by Mr. Gomeztagle’s chair and words were exchanged. Mr. Gomeztagle asked about specifics and Mr. Blazak added that it was before the meeting started. Mr. Gomeztagle asked if someone mentioned it to him after the meeting. Mr. Blazak responded that the Chairman and the Engineer asked him about what just happened. Mr. Manousopoulos confirmed that he knelt down with the President and Vice President of the Board, and his comment was that he was going to have some questions and concerns. He added that if anyone had any questions about it, they should have expressed them at the meeting or after the meeting. He stated that everyone knows the rules, not to discuss business before or after there is a vote on something and told Mr. Blazak to ask him next time. He added that the phone call should have come to him instead of Mr. Gomeztagle.
Mr. Gomeztagle made a motion to approve the 09-22-2022 Special Meeting Minutes. Mr. Manousopoulos seconded the motion. The motion carried with 3 ayes and 0 nays.
Mr. Gomeztagle stated that during the original workshop meeting, he was told that they would just need the parcels in the Town. Mr. Cender clarified that there are three (3) Townships incorporated into the Town of St. John. Mr. Gomeztagle asked for the reason to include them in the total number of parcels and just deal with the Town of St. John. Mr. Cender stated that St. John has three (3) taxing districts because of the schools. Mr. Wiszowaty added that the original data only included the St. John Township parcels in St. John and that it did not include Center Township and Hanover Township. Mr. Gomeztagle asked if they are looking at the Town and the three (3) Townships. Mr. Cender corrected to say that only the portions of the three (3) Townships that are within the Town corporate boundaries. Mr. Gomeztagle stated that he did the research and provided Ms. Hudson with the original information. He asked Mr. Wiszowaty if there were any rules and regulations that stipulate that the Town would be incorporating the Townships to the rate. Mr. Csanyi interjected to say there are three (3) Townships in the Town limit, so those parcels that are in those Townships need to be included. Mr. Gomeztagle said that the St. John Township Assessor provided him with the number, but when he went to the County to check, the County provided him with the 10,000, so he questioned the difference. Mr. Cender stated that if the Town is going to have a fee, it would have to include everyone to be fair. Mr. Cender said that the amended number is what the County has provided and is confident is it correct.
Mr. Gomeztagle expressed his concerns about the reaction from the residents and ensuring they understand about the fee. Mr. Manousopoulos noted that in the past, in his experience with rate increases, the Boards made sure the information was distributed to the public, asking for input in various forms. They sat with Mr. Pondinas and the Clerk in the Safety Building fielding questions from the residents regarding an increase in the water rates. He added that the Board needs to do a better job of communication with the residents. This Storm Water Board could have been started years ago and that the public needs to be a part of this, and informed, before any fee is added to any bill. He added that he is aware of the rush to meet the deadline for the tax bill, but suggested adding it to the water bill, and said that the project list could be managed based on the funds collected monthly. He noted that some residents aren’t on computers and wouldn’t know the Board was imposing a fee.
Mr. Csanyi asked if there was a public meeting on this topic. Mr. Wiszowaty confirmed that there was, however, he agreed that it would be beneficial to have additional outreach and that there is no reason to rush it through. He added that it doesn’t need to be on this tax bill if the Board wants to do it differently. He did note that the Board needs to move forward with something, but it doesn’t have to happen tonight. Mr. Csanyi agreed to wait and include community outreach. Mr. Wiszowaty stated that there is a lot of homework on this and there are projects that need to be identified and priced out. He added to send the information in the water bills explaining the consideration. Mr. Gomeztagle stated that he wants the Town to be fully informed.
Mr. Csanyi asked about next steps. Mr. Manousopoulos said that the Board should notice a public hearing. Mr. Wiszowaty suggested noticing for a public hearing in November which would allow the October meeting to discuss the plan. Different options for billing was discussed. Mr. Wiszowaty said that the flyer would go out in the water bill in late October. Mr. Wiszowaty stated that the public hearing would be held by the Storm Water Board at their November meeting.
Respectfully Submitted:
Anastasia Lowery, Recording Secretary
St. John Board of Storm Water Management
Approved This 19th Day of October, 2022:
___________________________________
Robert Csanyi, Board of Storm Water Management President
Also present: Bryan Blazak, Town Council Liaison, Joseph Wiszowaty, Town Manager, Bob Valois, Staff Liaison, and Jonathan Dykstra, Robinson Engineering.
A. 09-27-2022 Special Meeting Minutes
Mr. Gomeztagle made a motion to approve the 09-27-2022 Special Meeting Minutes. Mr. Csanyi seconded the motion. The motion carried with 2 ayes and 0 nays.
Mr. Csanyi mentioned the increase in the number of parcels. He added that the Board planned to educate the public on the plans and sending notifications in the water bills. Mr. Wiszowaty added that the rate study will be posted on the Town’s website. As part of the public notice, the original rates will be advertised for the Public Hearing which will be the maximum and the Board could select a lower rate. Mr. Csanyi asked for confirmation on the date of the Public Hearing as November 14, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.
Mr. Valois reported that Joe Moore from ECS will provide the presentation about the Clean Water Act at the Public Hearing. Mr. Csanyi asked if the notice in the utility bills will be the same as the publication, to which Mr. Wiszowaty confirmed it will have the same language. It was confirmed that Mr. Moore has an entire presentation prepared for the meeting. Mr. Wiszowaty added that Robinson Engineering and Cender Dalton will all be present to explain the projects and the need for the program. It was confirmed the presentations will be available on the meeting video for residents to view. Mr. Valois added that they are trying to bring in a representative from Merrillville as well. Mr. Gomeztagle asked if the developers would be invited to attend. Mr. Valois responded that he and Robinson Engineering plan to hold a seminar for the developers. Discussion about educating the developers ensued. Mr. Csanyi noted that many of the developers are familiar with the program from working in other communities. Mr. Csanyi asked about the time allotted for these presentations. It was noted that it will be a long meeting that evening. Mr. Csanyi asked if there will be some type of exhibit to include all of the Townships, to which Mr. Dravet confirmed that there will be maps of the Town displayed. A discussion about the map continued.
(Bill Manousopoulos joined the meeting at 6:17 p.m.)
Mr. Csanyi brought Mr. Manousopoulos up to date with the discussions had thus far in the meeting.
Mr. Manousopoulos made a motion to set the meeting for the Public Hearing on Monday, November 14th at 6:00 p.m. Mr. Gomeztagle seconded the motion. The motion carried with 3 ayes and 0 nays.
Mr. Manousopoulos asked about the presentations at the public meeting. Mr. Wiszowaty explained that the parcels will be broken down as shown in the Rate Study and explained the reasoning.
Mr. Manousopoulos made a motion to cancel the November 16, 2022 meeting. Mr. Gomeztagle seconded the motion. The motion carried with 3 ayes and 0 nays.
Mr. Csanyi asked if the Storm Water Board had a table at the Fire Department Open House. He added that after the public hearing, the Board will have enough educational information to publicize the storm water program on an ongoing basis, to include student programs.
Respectfully Submitted:
Anastasia Lowery, Recording Secretary
St. John Board of Storm Water Management
Approved This 14th Day of November, 2022:
___________________________________
Robert Csanyi, Board of Storm Water Management President
Also present: Bryan Blazak, Town Council Liaison, Joseph Wiszowaty, Town Manager, and Bob Valois, Staff Liaison.
A. 10-19-2022 Special Meeting Minutes
Mr. Manousopoulos made a motion to approve the 10-19-2022 Special Meeting Minutes. Mr. Gomeztagle seconded the motion. The motion carried with 3 ayes and 0 nays.
Mr. Manousopoulos reported that the floor will be open for comments after the presentations, then answer any questions as necessary.
Rick Conaway, 12381 W. 94th Ct. – Mr. Conaway asked what the money was earmarked for.
Mr. Gomeztagle responded that the Board has gone through the process of determining the Federal and State requirements. Mr. Gomeztagle reported that the presentation will come before the public comments. Mr. Csanyi told the public to come up and ask questions, then the Board will have the presentation.
Doug Blocker, 10591 Juniper Lane – Mr. Blocker stated that the Town is already doing the MS4 process and using tax money to complete it. He asked if there will be additional dollars taken, will the residents receive a rebate on their taxes. Secondly, he addressed the problems caused by developers with no erosion control.
Ted Nosal, 12629 Larimer Dr. - He asked if the program was to install new storm sewers, because he said he has natural drainage and doesn’t have any storm sewers. He added that they just had a water rate increase and now a storm sewer fee.
Mr. Gomeztagle requested deferring the public comment to after the presentation as the residents are frustrated. Mr. Gomeztagle made a motion to defer public comment to after the presentation. Mr. Manousopoulos seconded the motion. Motion carried with 3 ayes and 0 nays.
Rick Conaway, 12381 W. 94th Ct. – Mr. Conaway asked how much money it will raise once implemented. He asked if the Town will capture all of the money collected by the County. He asked of the Town put together a plan. When is the fee planned to be implemented. He added that the Town does not have a flooding problem.
Bill Keith, 10455 W. 93rd Avenue – He stated that it would have been better if St. John had presented more specific problems within the Town. He asked how much his fee would be for a small commercial building. He asked who controlled Taft Street and how it floods.
John Schaefer, 14290 W. 94th Avenue – He asked Cender Dalton about the rate advertised at $15.00 but the study notes a $10.00 maximum. He asked if the Town plans on creating a separate department. He asked if the Storm Water Board will be rewriting the ordinance. He asked of there was a list of projects. He asked if the fund would be set up like an enterprise fund. He asked if the Town Council makes the final decision.
Kurt Koch, 8245 Meadow Lane – He stated that his neighborhood does not contribute to the storm water problems and the parcels that contribute more, should be assessed appropriately. He added that they spend money to preserve their pond. He asked the Board to take time to do it right.
Marc Rastovic, 8830 Mallard Lane – He asked what the Board would do if someone is obstructing the flow of water going into a storm drain. He explained his current situation regarding the storm drain.
Steve Winarski, 8843 Mallard Lane – Mr. Winarski reported issues with overgrown areas in his neighborhood.
Doug Blocker, 10591 Juniper Lane – Mr. Blocker stated that he is not in favor of the $15.00 fee as he pays an Association to maintain their areas.
Ted Nosal, 12629 Larimer Dr. – He asked if he would be charged for his vacant lot. He also asked the Town to maintain more green space.
Mr. Manousopoulos asked Mr. Lake several questions. Responses were inaudible. Mr. Manousopoulos asked Mr. Wiszowaty if there was any plan to hire additional staff for Storm Water. Mr. Wiszowaty reminded them that the Storm Water has zero budget at this time. Mr. Manousopoulos added that he didn’t want to hear that and that it was crazy.
Mr. Gomeztagle and Mr. Manousopoulos stated that the Storm Water Board would need an attorney and would do some research on options.
Mr. Csanyi read a couple of emails into the record.
Mr. Csanyi closed the public comment.
Respectfully Submitted:
Anastasia Lowery, Recording Secretary
St. John Board of Storm Water Management
Approved This 17th Day of January, 2023:
___________________________________
Robert Csanyi, Board of Storm Water Management President
