FORT BRAGG'S STORMWATER CROSSROADS
NAVIGATING PROPOSITION 218, INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE,
AND THE PATH TO SUSTAINABLE FUNDING
City Council Mid-Year Budget
Meeting | March 30, 2026
Al NotebookLM
The Decision at Hand
The Situation The Complication The Decision
(Baseline) (Friction) (Resolution)
Fort Bragg faces an aging Current funding relies Staff is seeking direction storm drain system heavily on a Storm Drain from Council on whether (identified as having 55 Impact Fee limited solely to or not to allocate deficient structures in the new development, generating resources to pursue the 2004 Master Plan) and less than $10,000 annually. Proposition 218 process strict, unfunded State
To secure general funding,
regulatory mandates
(MS4/NPDES compliance). state law requires a strict
Proposition 218 property-
owner ballot process.
Al NotebookLM
The Physical Reality: Aging Infrastructure & Documented Deficiencies The 2004 Baseline The Topography
The 2004 Master Plan The City encompasses
identified 55 specific ~1,800 acres bounded
drainage structures by water, relying on 7
within the City that are discharge points on
undersized for a 10- Pudding Creek, 10 on
year design flow. the Noyo River, and 3
ocean outfalls.
STONN ONAN MASTEK PLAN
FORT DRAS. CT
The Cost of Inaction
The 2004 estimated cost to correct these
physical deficiencies was ~$5.1M (in 2004
dollars) -a number that has significantly
compounded over two decades.
A NotebookLM
The Regulatory Reality: Unfunded MS4 Mandates
1. Public Education 2. Public
& Outreach Involvement/Participation
6. Pollution EPA/State
3. Illicit Discharge
Prevention/Good Phase I| Detection &
Housekeeping MS4 Permit
Elimination
5. Post-Construction 4. Construction Site
Stormwater Management Runoff Control
NDES permits treat stormwater discharges as "point sources" of pollution.
Compliance is an ongoing, labor-intensive operational expense, not a one-time capital project.
A NotebookLM
The Financial Reality: The Structural Funding Gap
Current Revenue
Documented Storm Drain Impact Fee
Needs (Adopted 2024)
Multi-Million FY 2025 Collections
Dollar Backlog totaled exactly $8,276.
Regulatory Compliance,
0&M, Capital Renewal,
Street Rehab Integration.
Impact fees cannot mathematically or legally bridge the gap.
A new structural funding mechanism is mathematically necessary.
Al NotebookLM
Foundational Work Underway: Gathering the Data
Stormwater Asset
Financial Data & Status
Management Plan (AMP)
1. Asset Inventory & Management: Total Estimated Cost: $82,566 Develop a full database of our aging G> Current Status: Project is currently storm drain infrastructure to underway with consultant kickoff prioritize repairs and maintenance. scheduled April 1, 2026 Timeline: Significant activity and
G> 2. Compliance Cost Forecasting: design work are scheduled for FY Accurately estimate the 20-year 26/27, with an estimated completion costs required to ensure the City date in Winter 2026.
remains in compliance with state
and federal environmental
regulations.
Al NotebookLM
The Mechanism: The Stormwater Enterprise Utility
Enterprise Fund
Pillar 1: Pillar 2: Pillar 3:
Regulatory Operations & Capital Projects
Compliance Maintenance Funds drainage
Funds MS4/NPDES Funds proactive catch improvements, green program obligations, basin cleaning, pipe infrastructure, and water quality maintenance, and ditch crucially, coordination monitoring, inspections, clearing to prevent with
and state reporting. localized flooding. street rehabilitation to ensure roads aren't
destroyed by underlying
drainage failures.
A NotebookLM
Anatomy of a Proposition 218 Fee: The Runoff Coefficient Parcel A (High Impervious Area Parcel B (Low Impervious Area High Runoff Low Runoff
Result: Higher demand on City storm drains Result: Lower demand on City storm drains = Proportionally Higher Fee. = Proportionally Lower Fee.
Proposition 218 mandates that fees are not based on property value, but on the estimated stormwater runoff burden a parcel places on the system.
A NotebookLM
Proposition 218: Process, Principles, and Legal Guardrails Fee Basis: Runoff Burden City-Administered Process Strict Legal Guardrails (Not Property Value) (CA Const. Article XIII D) (Case Law) High Runoff • Administrator: The City • Strict Proportionality:
Higher Fee Fees must match parcel's
• Who Votes: Property cost of service, not for
Owners (by APN) other goals.
Low Runoff • Separate Accounting:
• The Ballot: Mailed by
City, requires public Heightened scrutiny
protest hearing requires clean separation
from general fund.
Lower Fee • Approval Threshold:
• Mandatory Process:
Fees based on estimated Simple majority of Stormwater fees must stormwater runoff burden, returned ballots. undergo a mailed ballot not property value. proceeding.
A compliant Proposition 218 process requires significant City staff time and outreach to meet these strict legal and procedural standards.
Al NotebookLM
The Proposition 218 Roadmap
(12-18 Month Horizon)
Phase B: Mailed Phase D:
Phase C: Mailed
Phase A: Notice & Protest Adoption &
Preparation Hearing Ballot Proceeding Implementation
(Now - Winter 2026) (Winter 2026 - (Spring 2027 - (Summer 2027 - Spring 2027) Summer 2027) Fall 2027)
What: Consultant Kickoff What: Mail notices to all What: Mail ballots, What: Establish (April 2026), Draft fee property owners, conduct public tabulation, enterprise fund; integrate structure and public Conduct public education. certify results. into billing (coordinated outreach materials. Determine if majority Dependency Milestone: via annual County tax roll).
Conduct Nexus Cost protest exists. SWAMP Completed
Study and Map Impervious (Winter 2026) validates Who: City Council & City Area (to determine costs Who: City Staff (with final numbers. Staff to property owners). Consultant support) Who: City Staff & Public Who: City Staff &
Consultants
Al NotebookLM
Requested Council Action: The Fork in the Road
Stay on Current Track Expedite Processing Abandon Prop 218 Utility Fund
Immediate Action: Proceed Immediate Action: Accelerate Immediate Action: Abandon with consultant work and consultant work and outreach Prop 218 model; research public outreach plans. efforts to meet earlier alternative funding sources timelines. (e.g., General Obligation
Bonds, Special Tax).
Impact: Keeps city on track for Impact: Potentially brings potontial adoption and funding mechanism sooner, Impact: Shifts funding burden, implementation in Fall 2027 requires intense resource significantly alters legal and commitment. administrative strategy.
Staff requests direction on which path to pursue.
A NotebookLM