BALLOT TITLE:
Caption: Amends Charter: Updates authority to manage parks, sewers and stormwaters.
Question: Shall Charter be amended to update City authority regarding recreational and natural areas (defined), sewers and stormwaters?
Summary: Charter Commission proposed measure to update City authority, last amended in 1966, to manage recreational and natural areas, sewers and stormwaters.
If measure passes:
- Charter Section 12-101, describing parks management, would add “recreational and natural areas” as defined term to mean parks, playgrounds, forests, wetlands and human-built, natural facilities. Remaining language would be streamlined.
- A section would be added to City’s specific powers in Charter Section 2-105(a) clarifying that City may perform sewer, stormwater management – including protecting, restoring, remediating, altering, improving, expanding, filling, grading, or managing flow –in channels, riparian areas, floodplains, waterfronts, lakes, ponds, wetlands, other waters, natural systems, constructed equivalents.
- Charter Section 11-301 would be amended to clarify that storm drainage may use natural systems, constructed equivalents.
- Charter Section 11-302 would be amended to streamline language, last updated in 1970, related to service charges deposited into Sewage Disposal Fund. Charter will continue to require Council to spend Fund only on uses “reasonably related” to sewage, stormwater conveyance, disposal and purification.
Other provisions.
City Budget Office determined measure has no direct financial impact.
Explanatory Statement: The volunteer Charter Commission recommended amending the City Charter to update the City’s authority to protect and manage parks and to manage sewers and stormwaters. Descriptions of the City’s roles were last updated in 1966.
Currently, the City’s role to protect and manage parks is described in Charter Section 12-101.
Under the Commission’s recommendation, Charter Section 12-101 would be amended to define “recreational and natural areas” as parks, playgrounds, forests, wetlands and human-built or natural facilities. The remaining language would be streamlined to increase readability.
Currently, the City’s sewer and stormwater management role is described in Charter Section 11-301 and Section 11-302 describes the City’s process, last amended in 1970, to fix, collect and deposit service charges into the Sewage Disposal Fund.
Under the Commission’s recommendation, a new section would be added to the City’s specific powers in Charter Section 2-105(a) to clarify that the City may perform sewer and stormwater management – including protecting, restoring, remediating, altering, improving, expanding, filling, grading, or managing flow – in channels, riparian areas, floodplains, waterfronts, lakes, ponds, wetlands and other waters, natural systems or constructed equivalents. Existing Charter Section 11-301 would be amended to clarify that storm drainage may include the use of natural systems or constructed equivalents. Existing Charter Section 11-302 would be amended to streamline language related to service charges. The Charter will continue to require City Council to spend all charges deposited into the Sewage Disposal Fund on uses “reasonably related” to sewage and stormwater conveyance, disposal and purification.