MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — As water quality requirements ratchet up, the City of Martinsburg might consider creating a separate Storm Water District to handle the cost.
City Manager Mark Baldwin said that’s one of the avenues being looked at by the city, which like Berkeley County is beholden to follow Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System or MS-4 Guidelines as part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed area.
“Both the City and the County – 15 years plus or minus, we were both in the category of becoming an MS4 for stormwater management just based on our urbanized area through census. We have an EPA requirement to meet. We have the West Virginia DEP permit requirement to meet, just as the county does.”
Currently the city uses $350,000 from general operating funds for the personnel and the work involved in following the MS-4 mandates. That could change, though.
Baldwin said the city is up for a new permit next year, and if the requirements ratchet up and cost more money, city officials ‘could’ consider creating a separate storm water management district to generate revenue.
“To meet some of those requirements and look at capital improvements and stormwater and flooding and so forth, it’s probably going to take about 1.2 million dollars a year,” Baldwin added.
In addition to a storm water utility other options include enacting a fee or continuing to use money from the general operating budget to fund increasing costs.
The city may not have to take action on a new funding mechanism until 2021, according to Baldwin. He said public hearings would be part of the process.
Baldwin was a guest on Wednesday’s Panhandle Live.