Tell us what you think about stormwater discount registration form

Having copies of the City of Portland's plumbing records documenting the 1937 installation of residential drywells for my home's roof areas and driveway on my property at the time of construction should be sufficient to qualify for the Clean River Incentive and Discount Program.

Taxing property owners for storm water run off, “The Rain Tax” as it should be called, is just another high-priced reason why families are driven to move to the suburbs, and why Portland schools continue to have declining enrollment. The over-taxation powers and policies of the Portland City Council continues to run a muck. “The City that Works” definitely works hard when it comes to picking the pockets of the people who live and work here. If the City Council spent as much time and effort investigating the Bureau of Environmental Services as it has done in dealings with PGE, sewer rates could be reduced by 10 percent. These rain tax charges should be TOTALLY eliminated!

This tax is based on nothing more than propagating a political agenda, also known as social engineering. There is a lack of correlation between the amount of the tax, the dimensions of the property, the amount of permeable area on the property, and the square footage of roofs. There is no credit given where a portion, but not all of the runoff is captured or returned to the ground to be absorbed, or for sunny days. Furthermore, there is no consideration given to the fact that many older homes and structures have basements that periodically leak and would require property owners to make costly repairs if downspouts were to be disconnected. Past building requirements required downspouts to be connected and empty into the sewer system. Some properties have no place for the run off to be dispersed without causing problems. Properties with structures built before this politically motivated tax was implemented should be totally exempt from paying the tax. Maybe the people of Portland should simply force the issue and file an initiative petition to mandate reduced sewer rates and rid property owners of this absurd tax.

If the reasoning behind this tax is a pork barrel way to make property owners more responsible, then the rest of the taxes and fees in Portland must also work that way. It would be hogwash to say otherwise. Bicyclists can and must become more responsible by directly paying a tax for all of the expenditures for the network of exclusive bike lanes and routes instead of poaching and siphoning off the dollars from the taxes motorists pay. Bus and light rail riders must also become more user responsible and less subsidized by paying higher fares for the transit price tag. Hikers in Forest Park must start paying trailhead fees for trail maintenance instead of tapping golfers for the costs. Moreover, tax abatements on all except low income housing must be repealed becoming a thing of the past so the owners of million dollar properties pay their fare and “responsible” share for schools and other government services. If the rain water run off tax is to be based on responsibility, then too must the balance of the tax system be based on responsibility, and NOT based the present political attitude of social engineering. .

Finally, in Oregon, inflation is outstripping the median wage. The state’s economy is being held hostage by over protection of the environment. Yet every time a person turns around, City Hall is using the “in your face” method to proliferate additional taxes while attempting to control our way of life. If Portland wants to be a thriving city where a diversity of families, age and ethnic groups choose to live, city government must stop dictating lifestyles, stop using the tax codes endeavoring to in act social engineering, and level the tax playing field which includes an overall reduction in the average amount of taxes individuals in Portland pay. Included in that amount must be a significant reduction in water discard taxes and fees.

I have some concern about the requirement that residents have "a building or plumbing permit, inspection report, or other documents that describe the size and capacity of the facilities."

I live in outer east Portland, in a home built in the late-1960's. At the time the house was built, there were no sanitary sewers or storm sewers, so the house was built with rain water going to dry wells and sanitary waste going to a septic tank. After all these years, how am I supposed to produce a building or plumbing permit (or other documentation) to prove these dry wells exist and that they were properly installed?

As someone who purchased a house with disconnected downspouts that have since flooded my basement numerous times and completly ruined my flooring, I don't support the idea. I'm back on the grid.

Like Wesley, I own a SE Portland home built in 1940, with it's own sanitary system until we hooked up to the city line in the lat 90s.

While I know for a fact that my captured runoff goes into a drywell, I certainly have no inspection reports to verify this.

Does this mean I have to pay another fee (or tax as some wags would put it) to have my home "certified" -- all to get a couple bucks-per-quarter off my sewer bill?

I appreciate that you, Commissioner Adams were given this problem -- that you didn't create -- and are trying to solve it.

I own two buildings in east county. one is a commercial building built in
1972. The roof and parking lot are served by dry wells. The second is a residence built in 1973. The roof is drained into drywells The drywells for both of these buildings have not had to be altered since being built. To qualify for the residential and commercial portion you are requiring building permits or plumbing permits or inspection reports to show size and capacity of these drywells. Guess what? I don't have any of the above from the early 70's. The capacity is what ever the building code required at that time.
What ever the requirement was at that time it was sufficient as I have not had any overflows even with the rain we had the other night. You have been promising this break for us out in East County for years. We were utilizing drywells long before the sewers were installed.
Is this requirement a way of putting a barrier in place to not have to allow the the discount to the propery owner?

Where do we get to see the numbers? The old propossed form (from two years ago, I think) calculated the discount. I don't see where the discount is calculated with this new form. Please advise.

I have been tracking the postings to Sam’s Blog regarding stormwater discounts. Most of the comments and questions have been about the requirement to document the type, location, size and installation of private stormwater facilities. Allow me to offer the following response.

1. You do not have to provide written documentation of the private stormwater facilities when you register for stormwater discounts. The City will not require you to submit any documentation with your registration form. However, you will need to provide documentation when the City inspects your stormwater facilities to confirm your registration and determine that your facilities are in good operating condition.

2. Do not be concerned at this time if you are unable to find personal records about your stormwater facilities. The City will inform you of ways to provide the needed documentation when the City contacts you to arrange a site inspection. The City will not disqualify you automatically for a lack of documentation. The City will accept other documentation, including receipts, survey reports, and affidavits based on a personal inspection of the flow of stormwater from roof drains or downspouts.

3. In some cases, the City may waive the documentation requirement if the City’s site inspection confirms that stormwater runoff from roof areas does not harm the ratepayer’s property or a neighboring property, or does not result in a direct discharge to a public facility, lake, pond, creek or stream. In order to reach this conclusion, the City may need to flush your downspouts and observe the flow of water on site as well as the surrounding area of the inspection. Also, the City may have to interview the owners or tenants of neighboring properties to confirm the safe discharge of stormwater runoff.

4. If you participated in the Downspout Disconnection Program, the City will rely on existing program files to provide initial documentation of your site conditions.

The City has two main reasons for requiring documentation of private stormwater facilities. First, as a practical matter, the City needs to protect those ratepayers who will end up paying for the stormwater discounts by making sure that the discounts are awarded to ratepayers who have safe and effective stormwater facilities on-site. Second, the City is more likely to survive a legal challenge to the discount program if it can be shown that the discounts are going to those who meet specific qualifications. By requiring documentation and on-site inspection, the City demonstrates its commitment to protecting the rights and privileges of those who earn the discounts and those who pay for the discounts.