Stormwater Program Moves Ahead Without Funding

Berkeley County officials will begin a controversial stormwater management program without funding after County Council rejected a proposed fee earlier this week.

County Supervisor Dan Davis says that the county will meet permit requirements by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control for stormwater monitoring and improvements necessary to reduce chemicals and other waste in stormwater discharge.

Charleston County and several local municipalities manage stormwater programs through a dedicated stormwater fee. Berkeley County and its municipalities have been using a portion of county tax collections for what little monitoring they have done in the past.

But a new state permit is expected to require more than a million dollars in additional spending annually to monitor and improve the county's stormwater discharge.

Berkeley County Council voted 6-2 Monday to reject the fee needed to fund the federally mandated program.

Initially, the fee was expected to cost $36 for homeowners and $108 for businesses, comparable to similar fees in Charleston and Dorchester. Davis suggested cutting the fee to a third of that amount in the first year, but still couldn't find enough support on council.

The last-minute split seems to be a over whether there's an immediate need for funding.

County Councilman Tim Callanan (R-Daniel Island) has supported the charge in the past, but voted against it Monday. "I have no problem if it's a federal mandate and that we charge a fee if it costs us money," Callanan told Patch.

But he says the permit from the state's Department of Health and Environmental Control hasn't been handed down yet, so exact requirements are unknown.

"We're putting the cart before the horse," he said. "Why would we rush to start this program?" Callanan said he'd rather wait until budget talks begin again next May, when the county will have a better handle on  cost.

Davis said the county will begin complying with the permit as soon as its issued, possibly later this year, to avoid costly penalties and fines. "The stormwater program will start to run a deficit and continue to run a deficit until the council pays for it," he said. 

Jack Schurlknight and Bob Call were the only votes in support of the stormwater fee. Call, a Goose Creek Republican, is worried about costs adding up. "This will leave us without money to take care of these mandates," he said.