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<br /> ... -. ..... "......-... - -....~"-_...,-""~. <br /> 3 <br /> . Introduction <br /> There is not any city in the Minneapolis{st.Paul area that <br /> is without a storm sewer system. This may appear obvious, but <br /> there are reasons that all cities have them. storm sewer systems <br /> protect people, protect property, and improve property value. <br /> They also reduce insurance risks, enhance the environment" and <br /> provide for safe traffic flow. At times it is very easy to <br /> overlook these benefits when they work beneath the surface. With <br /> these benefits, there comes a price tag. This cost and how it <br /> should be apportioned is the topic of this report. <br /> Throughout the past ten years other communities in the Twin <br /> Cities area have encountered the problems that New Brighton is <br /> now facing. The price of maintaining their storm sewer systems <br /> have increased due to a change in the state legislature, due to <br /> the increased amount of run-off caused by development of homes, <br /> churches and businesses, and due to the replacements of aging <br /> inadequate facilities. <br /> In 1983, the state legislation was changed to require New <br /> Brighton to take greater and costlier actions to protect water <br /> quality (see Appendix B). These actions include the development <br /> and maintenance of regional and local plans to identify problems <br /> with the current storm sewer system. <br /> Before New Brighton was developed, the rain would fall and <br /> . soak into the ground or naturally flow into the rivers and lakes. <br /> When land began to be developed the amount of area that allowed <br /> the rain water to absorb was reduced. Now, the ground cannot <br /> absorb all of the water so additional run-off is created. Many <br /> years ago, the storm sewer system was designed for the current <br /> water quantities. with each development, the amount of run-off <br /> increases. Now, parts of the existing system may need to be <br /> replaced because it cannot handle the increased amount of run- <br /> off. <br /> The aging process is another important factor to consider. <br /> The storm sewer system may need to be replaced simply due to the <br /> deterioration of its pipes which decreases its efficiency. <br /> Today, these costs are paid for using general tax money - <br /> property taxes. Property taxes are based on property value. <br /> Each property tax is the property value multiplied by the parcel <br /> area. Therefore the concept of using property taxes to finance <br /> ." the cost of managing storm run-off is only partially correct. <br /> For example, someone with the same amount of run-off may pay more <br /> because the property may be near a lake where the property value <br /> is high. In addition to this inequity, there are properties, <br /> such as schools, churches, etc, that are tax exempt. <br /> This represents a problem that neighboring municipalities <br /> such as Roseville and Shoreview have answered by introducing a <br /> storm water utility fund. <br /> . Uses of the storm water utility fund <br /> A storm water utility fund is similar to the familiar <br /> sanitary sewer utility. In the case of the sanitary sewer, fees <br /> for treatment . Similarly, the storm water <br />