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Frequently Asked Questions

2019 Water Quality & Flood Protection:

Frequently Asked Questions
Below are Frequently Asked
Questions about the Water
Quality and Flood Protection
Fee. If you have a question that
is not included here, please
contact Sarah Henry at
shenry@alamedaca.gov
(mailto:shenry@alamedaca.go
v) or call 510-747-4714.

1. What is the City’s Clean Water Program?

2. Why is a new fee needed?
3. Don’t my property taxes already pay for this?
4. How much is the new proposed fee? 
5. Will this proposed new fee replace my current fee?
6. Will the amount of the fee increase in the future?
7. How does the amount of this fee compare to other similar fees in the Bay Area?
8. Can the money from this fee be used to pay for other things?
9. Who gets to vote for this?
10. With rent controls in place, won’t this new fee have to be absorbed by landlords?
11. Why did I get a notice for this measure before a ballot?
12. When do we vote?
13. When will we know whether the measure passed?
14. What is the di erence between the storm drainage system and the sewer system?
15. What is the City doing to ensure the money is spent wisely?
16. What happens if the proposed 2019 Water Quality and Flood Protection Measure
does not pass?
17. Why did you wait this long to propose a new fee for this?
18. Is this a fee or a tax?
19. Will the fee pay for the $30 million of infrastructure needs?
20. Why is there no sunset or expiration on this fee? 
21. Why are only property owners paying and can landlords pass this fee to their
tenants?
22. Is new development paying their fair share?
23. How are the fees calculated?
24. Can’t other City funds, such as the ½ cent sales tax, pay for the stormwater needs?
25. Does the proposed fee help implement projects proposed in the Climate Action
and Resiliency Plan?
26. Why is the ballot not anonymous? 
27. I own more than one parcel, why didn't I get more than one ballot?
28. How do I determine if my property qualifies for the 25% or 57% rate credits that
are given to properties that meet low impact development standards or drain directly
to the bay?
29. How many parcels are there in Alameda?

1. What is the City’s Clean Water Program?

Management of the City’s storm drainage system is done through Alameda’s Clean
Water Program. The City owns, maintains, and operates over 10 pump stations (some
dating back to the 1940s), 126 miles of pipelines, 96 acres of lagoons, 278 outfalls to
the Bay, and numerous tide gates and seawalls to control flows and convey our
stormwater safely and reliably to the Bay. Thirty years ago, changes in Federal law
added the responsibility of reducing water pollution.

Stormwater runo is the leading cause of pollution in the Bay. Trash, such as plastics,
cigarette butts, and other non-biodegradable products, gets swept into the drainage
system with storm water runo , which flows directly to the Bay. Chemical and
bacterial contaminants such as fertilizer, pesticides, and animal waste are also spread
through, and pollute, this untreated runo .

The City of Alameda provides street sweeping services and installs and maintains
trash-capture devices in water inlets in order to minimize the amount of trash and
pollutants flowing through our storm drainage system, thereby enhancing the
cleanliness of the water in our local waterways. In addition, most new development is
required to install on-site treatment and retention facilities to further reduce
pollutants.

2. Why is a new fee needed?

The City’s storm drain fees, which have been in place since 1992, have not been
increased for nearly 15 years.  This is due to changes in State law, which now require
all stormwater fee increases to be approved by voters – a major undertaking.  The City
went without a fee increase as long as possible by controlling costs and using
financial reserves, but those reserves will be depleted this year and the only options
are to raise fees or cut services.  The City places a high value on protecting the City’s
quality of life, so we have proposed the Water Quality and Flood Protection initiative
so property owners in town can have their say. 

3. Don’t my property taxes already pay for this?

No. The Clean Water Program started in 1992 with a fee charged to properties. This
has been the only regular revenue source for the Program since its inception. This is
similar to water and sewer rates where the activities to provide those services are
supported solely by user rates. This ensures that the rates are fair and equitable, and
funds cannot be used for other purposes.

4. How much is the new proposed fee? 

The new fee is based on the amount of impervious surface on your type of property.
The fee for your property (or for each of your properties if you own more than one)
will be printed on the ballot you receive through the mail in October. The proposed
new fee for a single-family home on an average size lot will be $78.00 per year in
addition to the amount you already pay (typically $56 per year). That total fee amount
of $134 per year works out to $11.17 per month for the average home. 

5. Will this proposed new fee replace my current fee?

No. You will continue to pay your current fee. The proposed new 2019 Water Quality
and Flood Protection Fee will be in addition to what you are currently paying. For the
average home, the new fee of $78 will be in addition to the typical existing fee of $56
for a total annual charge of $134.  That works out to $11.17 per month for the average
single-family home.

6. Will the amount of the fee increase in the future?

Yes, the City Council would be allowed to increase the new fee according to the
Consumer Price Index, but no more than 3% per year. This is to keep up with the cost
of inflation. 

7. How does the amount of this fee compare to other similar fees
in the Bay Area?
As stated above, the proposed new fee for a single-family home on an average size lot
will be $78 per year. This would be in addition to the $56 per year currently paid by
each residential property owner. Rates in other Bay Area cities are $150 in
Burlingame, $164 in Palo Alto, $92 in San Jose, and $109 in Santa Cruz.

8. Can the money from this fee be used to pay for other things?

No. The 2019 Water Quality and Flood Protection fee, if approved, will be a dedicated
source of funds that can only be used for the Clean Water Program. This money
cannot be taken by the County or the State, and the City cannot use these funds for
any other purpose.

9. Who gets to vote for this?

Owners of property in the City of Alameda will be mailed ballots to vote on the 2019
Water Quality and Flood Protection measure.

10. With rent controls in place, won’t this new fee have to be
absorbed by landlords?

Not necessarily. An analysis of how those fees apply to owners of apartment buildings
suggests an increase per apartment unit of $2.20 per month. That works out to a
tenth of one percent of a monthly rent of $2,200. One tenth of one percent is well
below the Annual General Adjustment (AGA) permitted as a rent increase, calculated
at 70% of the change in the Consumer Price Index over a 12-month period. 

11. Why did I get a notice for this measure before a ballot?

State law (Proposition 218) requires two steps for this type of fee: 1) a mailed Notice, a
45-day protest period, and public hearing; and 2) a ballot measure. The public hearing
took place on October 1, 2019. Property owners who did not approve of the proposed
fee could mail their written protests in advance of this hearing or they could bring
them to the hearing. On October 1, the City did not receive written protests from
owners of more than 50% of a ected properties, and the City Council voted
unanimously to send out ballots to property owners in mid-October.

12. When do we vote?

Ballots were mailed on October 10, 2019, and property owners will have until
November 25, 2019 at 6:00 pm to return their ballot to the City Clerk. Please note that
completed ballots must be received by this deadline to be counted. Post marks do
not count.

13. When will we know whether the measure passed?

A er the close of the balloting period on November 25, the ballots will be tabulated,
and the results are scheduled to be announced at a City Council meeting in December
or January.

14. What is the di erence between the storm drainage system and
the sewer system?

In Alameda, like most cities, there are two separate systems. The City’s storm
drainage system collects and conveys rainwater runo from streets, roofs, sidewalks,
etc. directly to San Francisco Bay – there is no treatment process in place for that
rainwater. On the other hand, the City’s sewer system transports sanitary wastes from
toilets, sinks, baths, showers, industrial processes, etc. to EBMUD facilities for
treatment and final discharge to the Bay. 

15. What is the City doing to ensure the money is spent wisely?

Transparency is important to the City Council. The funds from this new fee will be
held separately in an account dedicated to the Clean Water Program. By law, the
revenue from this fee cannot be taken by the County or State and cannot be used by
the City for any other purpose. The City strives continuously to find the most cost-
e ective ways to achieve the goals of this program. The expenditures for this program
will be audited annually and the City Council will review and approve program
revenues and expenditures associated with the program at open public meetings.

16. What happens if the 2019 Water Quality and Flood Protection
Measure does not pass?

The Clean Water Program is currently running an annual deficit of approximately $1

million per year. This has depleted the Program’s financial reserves, which are
exhausted this fiscal year. If the new Water Quality and Flood Protection Fee is not
approved by voters, the City will have to begin cutting services to reduce expenses by
over $1 million per year. With a current budget of approximately $4 million, that
amounts to a 25% cut. The types of services that might have to be reduced or
eliminated include street sweeping, frequency of inspecting and cleaning our pipes
and inlets, and pollution control programs such as beach clean-ups. In addition, the
City will be unable to have a stormwater capital program, leaving aging pump
stations in place (some of which date back to the 1940s), which could cause recurring
flooding on City streets and in City neighborhoods.

17. Why did you wait this long to propose a new fee for this?

The last time the existing fees were increased was in 2005. Since that time, the Clean
Water Program has been attempting to survive o the Program’s fiscal reserves and
defer certain maintenance and improvement projects as long as possible. However,
those reserves are now depleted, so the City Council has proposed this measure to
maintain Clean Water Program services and begin to repair aging infrastructure. 

18. Is this a fee or a tax?

This proposed measure is a property-related fee, rather than a tax, as defined by

Proposition 218, which was approved by California voters in 1996. Because this is a
property-related fee, it will be voted on by property owners rather than registered
voters, and it requires a simple majority (over 50%) of the votes cast to pass. As a
property-related fee, it is required by law to be fair and equitable with all property
owners paying their fair share. It also must have strict fiscal safeguards to ensure it is
not spent on other things. If approved, the fee will appear as a line item on the annual
property tax bill for all a ected properties.

19. Will the fee pay for the $30 million of infrastructure needs?

Yes, a portion of the fee will be allocated to support more than $30 million in capital
infrastructure projects. While this portion does not cover all of these infrastructure
needs, it will provide critical local funds necessary for the City to better compete for
state and federal grants that fill in the gap so we are able to implement critical
infrastructure improvements in the City. 

20. Why is there no sunset or expiration on this fee? 

The costs of operating and maintaining a storm drain system, protecting water
quality, replacing critical aging infrastructure, and preparing for sea level rise and the
impacts of climate change will continue for decades. For these reasons, the proposed
fee does not include a sunset or expiration date. However, because Proposition 218
only allows the City to collect fees to meet the costs of implementing the stormwater
program, if in the future the costs of implementing the program decrease or are
eliminated, the City must reduce or remove the fee. 

21. Why are only property owners paying and can landlords pass
this fee to their tenants?

As a property-related fee, state law requires balloting only of property owners. In

addition, state law requires there to be a connection (“nexus”) between the amount
of the fee and the property the fee is being levied on. In this case, stormwater runo is
the connection, and the amount of the fee is based on impervious cover associated
with each parcel. 
 
Property owners are legally permitted to pass the costs of the fee or portion thereof to
renters in their annual rent increase so long as these costs are not more than the
Annual General Adjustment projected to be 2.8% in the next year. An analysis of the
proposed fee’s financial impact suggests an increase of a tenth of one percent (or
.1%) of monthly rent would cover the proposed fee, so well within the Annual General
Adjustment. 
22. Is new development paying their fair share?

Yes. Developers pay development impact fees for stormwater infrastructure and
treatment associated with new development. However, state law precludes these
fees from being used for the maintenance of our existing infrastructure, which is
decades old and in serious need of repair. Users of new development will be charged
the proposed fee, too. 

23. How are the fees calculated?

The City completed a rigorous engineering fee study that is available for review. The
fee study identified and verified the financial need and then fairly allocated that need
across all parcels within the City based on their contribution to the storm drain
system.

24. Can’t other City funds, such as the ½ cent sales tax, pay for the
stormwater needs?

As a general purpose tax, the City Council may choose during any budget cycle to
direct some of the revenue from the ½ cent sales tax to support the Clean Water
Program but there is no guarantee and alone, any allocation, will not meet the
ongoing current and future needs of the Program. In addition, given the City’s current
approved budget any allocation of the ½ cent sales tax or the general fund will mean
a reduction in budget or service for other City programs like parks, recreation, police,
fire, or emergency response.     
25. Does the proposed fee help implement projects proposed in the
Climate Action and Resiliency Plan?

Yes, the fee will help support a portion of the costs to plan and execute projects
identified in the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan. 

26. Why is the ballot not anonymous?

State law specifies that property-related fee ballots are a public record, however the
City will strive to keep the ballot information confidential to the extent of the law.
Similar measures to increase stormwater fees in other cities across the state have
used the same process. Ballots must be received at the City Clerk's O ice by 6:00 pm
on Monday, November 25. When ballots are received, they are placed unopened in a
locked box. Ballots will be opened and counted in Conference Room 360 in Alameda’s
City Hall from 9:00 am-4:00 pm on Tuesday, November 26, and continuing every
business day until the tally is complete. While any member of the public is welcome
to observe, the name and voting preference are not visible to observers. City sta is
not normally provided with a detailed list of vote results. Instead, at a December 17,
2019 City Council meeting, City sta will share back with the City Council a summary
tally of the yes/no votes, and whether the measure succeeded or not. Government
Code Section 53755.5 (b) (2) states in part, “The ballot shall include the agency’s
address for return of the ballot, the date and location where the ballots will be
tabulated, and a place where the person returning it may indicate his or her name, a
reasonable identification of the parcel, and his or her support or opposition to the
proposed fee."

27. I own more than one parcel, why did't I get more than one
ballot?

A single ballot can be used for up to eight parcels. When we open and scan the ballot,
you will receive one vote for every parcel listed.
28. How do I determine if my property qualifies for the 25% or 57%
rate credits that are given to properties that meet low impact
development standards or drain directly to the bay?

If you qualify for one of these rate credits, your proposed fee will be 25% or 57% less
than what is on the fee schedule. If you have any questions about this, please call us
at 510-747-4714 and we can look up your information on a parcel-by-parcel basis.

29. How many parcels are there in Alameda?

15,682 parcels belong to Alameda residents, 2,338 parcels belong to people in the
United States but non-Alameda residents, and 12 belong to people in other
countries.