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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 10073 INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10073 PATTo the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 5, 2017 �A� � r ° Page 1 of 2 x° 9IFrA SUBJECT: STORMWATER PROGRAM STRATEGIC MASTER PLAN UPDATE O 1675 Staff presented a status brief on the Stormwater Master Plan update to the City Council Infrastructure and Transportation Committee on September 12, 2017 and to the City Plan Commission on September 27, 2017. The purpose of this Informal Report is to provide the full Council with a summary of that update. Background and Goals On August 2, 2016 (M&C C-27832), City Council approved a professional services agreement with Halff& Associates Inc. (HAI) to assist City staff with the process of updating the master plan of the Stormwater Management Program. The key goals of the master plan update initiative are to: consolidate information gathered and lessons learned from the first 11 years of the City's Stormwater Management Program; define and prioritize service gaps; optimize the use of resources to meet community needs; develop direction for policy decisions on key issues with significant implications on the general public; and create an implementation plan for the next 10 years. Key Data To ensure that the master plan update is adequately informed by the community, a resident Stakeholder Group (SG)has been established. The Mayor and City Councilmembers each appointed a representative and City staff invited 8 ad hoc members to be a part of the group for a total membership of 17. The SG has significant diversity, both demographically and in terms of perspectives on stormwater issues. The SG met 8 times over a 9 month period. They were very engaged and their input was very helpful in shaping the direction of the plan and process. The process also saw good participation and input from the public at large. Another key data set obtained that will be a significant influence on the updated master plan is input from a group of peer review communities. The communities of Dallas, Arlington, San Antonio, Austin, Oklahoma City, Raleigh NC, and Charlotte NC have each completed a lengthy questionnaire providing information on their Stormwater programs. Follow-up phone calls with most of those communities provided deeper insight into their policies,practices, and program goals. The final category of key data is that which is developed and used for program prioritization. A significant focus of the Stormwater program for the past few years has been assimilating key system data and developing methods of synthesizing and analyzing the data to inform program priorities. That focus has led to the development of thorough and objective means of ranking: the condition and capacity of the pipe system; the relative risk of flooding in the 300 + drainage basins in the City; the level of erosion risk in channels and creeks; and the overall priority of potential improvement projects. This data is integral to the optimization of program resources and, therefore, also integral to the strategic masterplan. ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 10073 PATTo the Mayor and Members of the City Council December 5, 2017 �A� � r ° Page 2 of 2 x° 9IFrA SUBJECT: STORMWATER PROGRAM STRATEGIC MASTER PLAN UPDATE 0 1675 Key Policies A significant outcome of the master plan update process is direction on some key policy issues that have significant implications both on the Stormwater Management Program as well as residents (residential and commercial) of Fort Worth. Those policy issues relate to: voluntary buyouts of flood prone or high erosion risk properties, designation/communication/regulation of local (non-FEMA) floodplains, severe erosion in privately owned creeks and channels, and the level of oversight of private development. Based on the feedback from the Stakeholder Group and the peer review communities, the master plan update will recommend that a separate process be launched to develop policies in each of these areas. Development of the policies will be fully vetted amongst all key stakeholders and recommendations brought forward to the City Plan Commission and City Council as appropriate. Plan Completion The master plan update is on schedule. A presentation and recommendation for Council to adopt an updated master plan is expected in early 2018 after the plan is presented to, and endorsed by, the City Plan Commission. If you have any questions please contact Greg Simmons, Assistant Transportation and Public Works Director at 817-392-7862. David Cooke City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS