Property owners to vote on the City of Monterey's proposed stormwater fee.

Property owners in the City of Monterey will receive mail-in ballots at the end of May to decide whether to allow the city to charge a monthly fee to fund annual stormwater program operations and maintenance. 

The proposed monthly stormwater fee would vary based on a property’s impervious surface area, such as driveways and other paved areas, with properties with more impervious area charged more. The city estimates the average single-family household would have a monthly charge of about $4.80 or roughly $58 annually.

The city’s stormwater program activities are currently paid for by the general fund, which includes system maintenance, inspections, monitoring and regulatory compliance. If the stormwater fee is approved by property owners, the fee would cover about two-thirds of the cost of operations and maintenance, with the rest coming from the general fund. 

As part of the process mandated by Proposition 218, which regulates the ability of local governments to impose property-related fees, the City Council considered protests of the fee from property owners. If more than 50% of affected property owners express their written opposition to the fee, it would not move forward, as Environmental Regulations Analyst Rebecca Baggot explained at a public hearing on Tuesday, May 5, at Monterey City Hall. 

“If a majority protest does not exist, staff is requesting that the council adopt the proposed resolution,” Baggot said. “This action would confirm that a majority protest does not exist and direct the next step in the process: a mail ballot proceeding where property owners will have the opportunity to vote on the proposed fee. 

Baggot explained that a majority of property owners would need to vote for the fee in order for it to move forward, with a response deadline of July 6 by noon. 

During the public hearing, several property owners voiced their concerns about the fee adding to an already high cost of living, the process to protest it and about the city’s ongoing structural budget deficit.

Following comments from the public, city staff counted the protests against the fee, and 108 protests were submitted, which did not meet the 50% threshold, so the mail-in process will move forward. The deadline for the city to mail out the ballots is May 23.