DATE: May 20, 2016
TO: Board of Mayor and Aldermen
FROM: Eric Stuckey, City Administrator
Paul Holzen, Director of Engineering
Jonathan Marston, Assistant Director of Engineering
SUBJECT: PUBLIC HEARING: Consideration of Ordinance 2016-09, “An Ordinance Amending the City of Franklin Municipal Code, Appendix A - Comprehensive Fees and Penalties, Chapter 23. Stormwater Management to Establish an Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Inspection Fee and Electronic Recording Fee.” (05/26/16 CIC 4-0, 06/14/16 BOMA 8-0) SECOND AND FINAL READING
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Purpose
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide the Board of Mayor and Aldermen (BOMA) with information to consider the addition of an Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Inspection Fee and Electronic Recording Fee.
Background
The City of Franklin is issued a General National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit that authorizes and regulates the discharge of stormwater. This NPDES permit requires us to develop, implement and enforce a construction site stormwater runoff control program, conduct pre-construction meetings and provide inspections of all priority construction sites at least once per month. As part of this program property owners and developers are also required to record a Long Term Stormwater Maintenance Plan and Agreement, at the Williamson County Register of Deeds office. This Long Term Stormwater Maintenance Plan helps to assign responsibilities associated with the implementation and enforcement of permanent stormwater runoff management.
Currently the City is receiving no compensation for time spent providing inspections. In addition, as part of the Stormwater/Grading permit application process the Long Term Maintenance Plan for the project site must be recorded at the Williamson County Register of Deeds Office. This requires the applicant to work with the owner to get the agreement signed and notarized, drop off the agreement to the City so we can sign and notarize our portion. Then they must return to pick it up, have it recorded, and then return the original to us. This is a time consuming and often confusing process.
The County has been working with three online websites to accept Electronic Recording of documents. The process is very simple, fast and reliable. The document is dropped off at the City, with the owners portions signed and notarized, then the custodian of records has the City’s portion signed and notarized and uploads it to the site. The fees are paid electronically and when the document is recorded by the County it is sent back to the site where the City can access it at any time.
Financial Impact / Options:
Staff has been tracking time and cost associated with these services and we are proposing to incorporate the following fees into Municipal Code:
$80.00 Electronic Recording Fee
$100/Acre Disturbed (min $1,000)
Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of Ordinance 20216-09.