BROWNSTOWN — In August of 2023, the Brownstown Town Council started the process of establishing a stormwater utility to help address flooding issues created by the town’s aging and sometimes non-existent storm sewer drainage system.
That process continued Monday night with a public hearing attended by more than 50 people in the former Jackson Circuit Court room at the courthouse.
The initial timeline for establishing the stormwater utility called for possible first reading of an ordinance doing just that after Monday’s public hearing, but council President Gregg Goshorn said that was not going to happen.
He said the council planned to use the meeting to gather public input into the possibility of establishing the stormwater utility and use it as an effort to educate people about the need for it.
Before the public hearing, Mary Atkins with Wessler Engineering said a stormwater study conducted by that firm shows there is need for the repair/replacement of failing and deteriorating stormwater infrastructure. There also is a need for on-going maintenance of that system, which includes underground pipes, inlets, ditches, catch basins and other items.
Those issues are presently addressed by the street department or contractors as needed, but the town does not have a budget for those projects, so repairs are financed with general funds or other funds including the street department, Atkins said.
Establishing the stormwater utility fund would provide a source of revenue outside the general fund to pay for stormwater system projects and repairs, Goshorn said.
The utility will fall under the supervision of the street department and there would not be any new town employees, he said.
There are currently eight priority projects that will be addressed once the utility is up and running and those projects have an estimated price tax of $14.8 million.
Around 20 or so people spoke about their concerns with establishing the utility during the public hearing.
The first, Jeanette Sitterding, who lives in Hillview Trailer Court, said she is 75 and living on Social Security and can not keep up with the rising costs of everything including rent, health insurance, life insurance, utility bills, doctor bills, food, medication and other items as it is without anything new.
“My water, sewer and water bill is $91.14,” she said. “Water is only $13.19, Sewer is $55.75. Service fee is $4 and something and the rest is $18.16 and that comes to $91.14 and sometimes it’s higher.”
Sitterding was the first of many concerned about how they could make ends meet while living on a fixed income. Others also expressed concerns with some of the big users such as Brownstown Central Community School Corp. passing on the monthly user fee it will pay on to taxpayers.
Larry McIntosh, the general manager for Jackson County Water, said the water company presently has its own stormwater infrastructure in place including a lagoon to hold stormwater including some that comes from the town.
He also said the proposed rate structure calls for a residential rate of $4.85 of a month, but for the water company the monthly rate would be $271.60. Under the phase implementation rate plan the monthly residential rate would go to $13 which translates into $728 a month for the water company.
McIntosh also questioned if some companies including Marion Kay and Jackson County REMC and residents located lust outside of town but would have to be pay the stormwater utility monthly fee.
Goshorn said anyone outside the town limits would not because they are not using the town’s sanitary sewer system and other town services.
He said the phased-in rate approach that McIntosh was referring to allows the town to first establish the utility and then proceed with planning to do projects as users fees and grant monies become available in the future.
Goshorn also said while some don’t see the need for the stormwater utility there are town residents who have stormwater running into their basements because of runoff.
“So, there is a need,” Goshorn said.
He said the town needs to plan to make needed improvements in the coming years.
“Hoping is not planning,” Goshorn said.
Several including town resident David Stidam also questioned why there was an urgency to do any or all eight projects planned at one time.
“If you drive anywhere through Brownstown 20 minutes after any big rain, there’s not a whole lot of water standing anywhere,” Stidam said. “I don’t see why you want to change and do anything like that when it don’t seem to be that big of a problem in most places.”
Goshorn said to Stidam’s point when heavy rainwater goes into ditches and the force of that water getting to and into the ditches cause erosion.
He said the hope with some of the eight projects is to get that rain water into pipes underground and to the East Fork White River where it needs to go to eliminate erosion.
Atkins said the stormwater utility gives the town an edge when applying for competitive grants for stormwater projects that would help reduce the cost to the town to complete the work.
She said the state wants to make sure when an infrastructure project is funded with grant funds, the governing body has the money to maintain it.
Goshorn said lot of times now the town spends funds for a fix that might not be the best fix and the stormsewer utility could help with that.
“It’s us trying to do the best we can with the money we have to get the best bang for our bucks,” he said. “That’s our position. We’re not trying to put everything on anyone’s back. It’s us trying to make Brownstown better for the foreseeable future.”
Goshorn said anyone wishing to keep up with the stormwater utility proposal should check out the town’s Facebook page.