Over the past 30 years, the City of San Leandro's
Stormwater Fee has never increased and its purchasing
power has decreased by greater than half. Over that same period, clean water regulations have increased with more mandates requiring additional investment. Additionally, repair and maintenance of the system is necessary to address
recurring flooding and capacity issues and to plan for future climate adaptation.
This project proposes to amend the current Stormwater
Fee charged to property owners to provide dedicated and reliable funding for clean water, flood prevention,
operating and capital improvement costs. This funding
cannot be taken away by the State or County and would be solely dedicated to flood prevention and water quality
projects. This fee is designed to be fair and reasonable based on the actual cost of providing the service, and
complies with the provisions of Proposition 218, the Right to Vote on Taxes Act.
The City’s existing
Stormwater Fee generates
$1.073 million annually
for stormwater-related
projects. The Fee has not
been increased in the past
30 years and does not cover
the system’s basic needs.
Based on a Storm Drain
Master Plan developed by the
City’s stormwater adviser,
Schaaf & Wheeler, the City’s
71-mile stormwater system
requires approximately $4.8
million annually to cover
operating and maintenance
costs and to fund veryhigh priority and a majority
of high-priority capital
improvements projects
designed to reduce flooding
and capture trash flowing
to San Francisco Bay. The
proposed amendment to the
Stormwater fee includes an
annual escalation tied to the
change in the Consumer Price
Index.
The City is proposing to
amend the existing
Stormwater Fee because
additional dedicated
funding is needed to:
Remove trash and
pollutants from rain runoff
using sustainable methods;
and
Repair and maintain critical
pipes and pump stations; and
Invest in the highest-priority
storm drainage infrastructure
projects for the City’s aging
system.
CITY OF SAN LEANDRO
STORMWATER FEE INITIATIVE
1 Total funding needed for High Priority projects = $24m amortized over 30 years = $800,033 per year 2Total funding needed for Medium-Low Priority projects = $47.3m amortized over 30 years = $1,576,667 per year Funding Needs for San Leandro’s 71-mile Stormwater System Monitoring and Reporting $458,000 $540,000 $540,000
Operations & Maintenance $140,000 $140,000 $140,000
Street Cleaning $627,000 $780,000 $780,000
Trash Capture Device Maintenance $0 $200,000 $200,000
Pipe Cleaning $0 $100,000 $100,000
Green Infrastructure Plan &
Implementation
$0 $100,000 $100,000
Very High Priority Projects: Debt Service $0 $424,000 $424,000 High Priority Projects: Pay as You Go (PAYGo)1 $0 $800,000 $800,000 Medium-Low Priority Projects: PAYGo2 $0 $1,577,000 $0
General Fund Loan Repayment ($2.5m at
1.75% for 30 years)
$107,000 $107,000
Total $1,225,000 $4,768,000 $3,191,000
STORMWATER FUND EXPENDITURES BUDGET NEED PROPOSED
$1.073 million
$4.768 million
$3.191 million
Budget Current Stormwater Fee
Need
Proposed
STORMWATER FUND REVENUE Fiscal Year 2024-2025
STORMWATER FEE
VERY HIGH PRIORITY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS –
BOND FUNDED
$1,749,000
Williams St, Aurora Drive to Marina outfall (1,170 ft) $1,631,000 San Leandro Boulevard/Best Avenue (1,983 ft) $671,000
Aurora Dr. Connecting Pipe (827 ft) $440,000
$4,491,000
HIGH PRIORITY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS
– “PAY AS YOU GO”
Bancroft Ave (2,877 ft) $2,867,000
East 14th St north of Channel (1,978 ft) $1,354,000
East 14th St south of Channel (1,159 ft) $899,000
Estabrook St (594 ft) $350,000
Hesperian Blvd and branching systems (717 ft) $666,000
Hubbard Ave to Washington Manor Park (7,430 ft) $6,759,000 $2,330,000
$246,000
$1,319,000
$974,000
$827,000
$940,000
$1,842,000
$1,014,000
$24,007,000
Trash Capture Device Installation
and Maintenance
Trash capture devices installed in storm
drain inlets collect trash from stormwater
runoff before it enters local waterways
and San Francisco Bay, protecting aquatic
life and local habitats. The City has already
installed 725 small-scale trash capture
devices to date and is currently pursuing
the design and installation of the
remaining six large-scale and 177 smallscale trash capture devices to achieve 100% State-mandated compliance by 2025. The proposed fee amendment includes the cost of installing the remaining devices and maintaining the 908 total devices throughout the City.
Pipe Cleaning
The proposed budget includes
funding for pipe cleaning to ensure
stormwater can drain to San
Francisco Bay. The image to the
right shows heavy blockage of one
of San Leandro’s 48” pipes, which
causes flooding in neighborhoods and commercial/
industrial areas. Regular cleaning of the pipes with heavy sedimentation is needed to keep water flowing to the bay.
Green Infrastructure
Development of green infrastructure gradually transforms the urban landscape and storm drainage systems from “gray” to “green.” It involves shifting
from having stormwater
flow directly off impervious
surfaces into the storm
drainage system to having
runoff flow into a local,
sustainable system.
Coordinating the proposed
capital projects with street
greening can lower the
marginal cost of stormwater management.
The City is required to develop a Green Infrastructure Plan to identify and prioritize locations for green infrastructure and the appropriate solution for each location throughout the City.
By June 2027, the City will need to install green infrastructure to treat a minimum of 5-acres of existing impervious
surface.
CITY OF SAN LEANDRO STORMWATER FEE AMENDMENT
February 7
Storm Drain Master
Plan presented to
City Council Facilities
& Transportation
Committee
March 4
Presentation to City
Council of Stormwater
Fee Report and
Discussion of
Proposed Stormwater
Fee Amendment
April 2
City Council to consider
issuance of Public
Notice regarding the
proposed Stormwater
Fee Amendment
May 20
City Council holds Public
Hearing and considers
whether to proceed with
the balloting for the
proposed Stormwater Fee
Amendment
July 8 - Ballots due
July 9 - Ballots tabulated
July 15
City Council considers
adoption of final
amended Fee if majority
is in favor
2024 TENTATIVE TIMELINE
Proposed Proposition 218 Property Related Fee Process
The State of California property-related fee process requires public approval in two distinct steps. The first step is a public notice mailed to each property owner, followed by a public hearing 45 days later. If a majority of all affected property owners protest the proposed fee amendment, the fee cannot be imposed and the process is concluded. If a majority protest is not received, the municipality may take the second step and submit the fee amendment to a balloting of the property owners subject to a simple majority.
The mailed ballot must contain the amount of the proposed fee to be imposed on the owner’s property, the basis for calculating the proposed fee, the reason for the fee, and a place where an owner can indicate their support or opposition to the fee. If a simple majority of property owners vote “yes”, the fee can be implemented; if a simple majority of property owners vote “no”, the fee cannot be implemented. The balloting must be held at least 45 days after the public hearing.
$1,620,000