Santa Maria Municipal Code Ch. 8-14 Drainage Fees

(a) There is re-established a fee to defray actual or estimated costs of building planned drainage facilities that will remove surface and storm waters from certain local drainage areas known as the North Blosser Road drainage area and the Battles Road drainage area.

(b) This fee requirement was initiated in Ordinance No. 441 of the Santa Maria City Council, in which the following findings were made and actions taken, each of which is confirmed:

(1) The master drainage report of the City Engineer of the City, dated February, 1960 was adopted as the drainage element of the General Plan;

(2) Subdivision and development in drainage areas shown in the report was found to require construction of identified drainage facilities:

(3) Per the master drainage report, the North Blosser Road area facility was found to cost an estimated $191,939 and the Battles Road facility an estimated $43,578, in 1960 dollars, those facilities being in addition to existing local facilities serving the area;

(4) The County of Santa Barbara was found to have no county-wide general drainage plan.

(c) Unless otherwise required by State law, drainage fees shall be payable, in cash or other consideration of equal value acceptable to the City Attorney, upon approval of a final subdivision map in either of the described areas. Fees shall be a per-acre-or-fraction-thereof charge, calculated as follows:

(1) The total area of undeveloped land within said planned local drainage area shall be added to the total area of undeveloped land within said drainage area which is zoned for commercial, industrial or planned community development or shown on the City's General Plan as planned for commercial or industrial development. This total shall then be divided into the total estimated cost of construction of new facilities to serve said planned local drainage facilities and the resultant figure shall be termed the "unit of drainage cost."

(2) The fee for the subdivision of each acre of land for residential use shall be one unit of drainage cost. The fee for subdivision of each acre for commercial, industrial and planned community use shall be two units. The terms "residential," "industrial," "commercial" and "planned community" use shall mean the same as they are defined in Ordinance No. 360 of the City.

(3) Notwithstanding anything else herein contained, said fee shall not exceed an amount equal to the pro rata share of the amount of the total, actual or estimated costs of all facilities, existing or planned, within the local drainage area which would be assessable to such subdivision if such costs were apportioned uniformly on a per-acre basis.

(d) Revenues raised by payment of drainage area and fees shall be placed in a separate account. These revenues, and any interest on them shall be used only to:

(1) Pay for the City's construction of facilities described in the master drainage report dated February, 1960, and any updates thereto, or to reimburse the City for those facilities built by the City with funds it advanced from other services; or

(2) Reimburse developers who have been required or authorized to install such facilities whose cost exceeds their drainage fee obligation under this section.

(e) Cost estimates in the master drainage report shall be adjusted once yearly by resolution of the City Council to reflect the increase or decrease of construction costs, on the basis of a factor recommended by the Director of Public Works, which factor shall be based on the Engineering News Record Cost of Construction Index published by McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. Prior to adjusting the fee, notice shall be given in conformity with Section 2-24.101 et seq. of Title 2 of this Code.

(Res. 90-143 § 4, eff. 10/16/90; Ord. 88-22 § 2 (c), eff. 1/5/88)

(a) There is established a fee to defray estimated costs of building the storm drainage projects identified by the Orcutt Drainage Plan (June, 1960), as modified by the supplement (September, 1964).

(b) The fee shall be paid by the developer of original construction or subdivider of property, whose property is located within the City limits, the planned local drainage area and all of the area within the watershed served by the Orcutt Area Drainage Element of the Santa Barbara County General Plan. A map designating this area is on file in the Engineering Division of the Public Works Department, and is incorporated by reference into the ordinance codified in this section.

(c) The fee shall be paid at the earliest time allowed by State law, in the following amounts:

(1) One hundred dollars per residential lot;

(2) Five hundred dollars per acre or fraction thereof for property to be developed as commercial, industrial, school, church, shopping center or other similar uses which substantially cover the ground or which decrease the permeability of the soil; or

(3) One hundred dollars per acre or fraction thereof for property to be developed as park, golf course, green belt, agricultural or other similar uses which substantially preserve the permeability of the soil.

(d) The drainage facilities planned in the Plan and supplement were in addition to existing local drainage facilities serving the area at the time the Plan was adopted.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the fee established by this section shall not exceed an amount equal to the pro rata share of estimated costs of all planned facilities located in the area covered by the Plan.

(f) This section shall not apply where building permits are issued for alterations or additions to existing buildings or structures. If a developer contributes cash or other valuable consideration toward the construction of the facilities identified in the Plan or any updates thereto, the developer shall receive credit for the contribution against the fee otherwise to be paid under this section.

(g) Revenues raised by payment of drainage fees shall be placed in a separate account. These revenues, and any interest on them, shall be used only to:

(1) Pay for the City's and/or Santa Barbara County Flood Control District's construction of facilities described in the Orcutt Drainage Plan dated June 1960 and any updates thereto, or to reimburse these entities for those facilities they built with funds advanced from other sources; or

(2) Reimburse developers who have been required or authorized to install such facilities whose cost exceeds their drainage fee obligation under this section.

(h) Cost estimates in the Orcutt Drainage Plan may be adjusted once yearly by resolution of the City Council to reflect the increase or decrease of construction costs, on the basis of a factor recommended by the Director of Public Works and/or director of the Santa Barbara County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, which factor shall be based on the Engineering News Record Cost of Construction Index published by McGraw-Hill Publishing Company. Before adjusting the fee, notice shall be given in conformity with Section 2-24.101 et seq. of this Code.

(Ord. 91-31 § 2, eff. 2/6/92)