Clean Water and Sustainable Storm Drainage Initiative

water droplet

Clean water, sustainable infrastructure and protection of property are essential community values to Los Altos and the City is launching an initiative to proactively invest in all three. 

Runoff from urban development like driveways, parking lots and roofs continues to deliver trash and other pollutants to our creeks and the San Francisco Bay.  The City’s storm drain infrastructure continues to age, requiring capital replacement and increased maintenance. In addition, a recent study identified that Los Altos neighborhoods are vulnerable to local flooding during rain storms, and it could require as much as $29 million of capital investment to reduce the risk.  

The City proposed its Clean Water Program as a means to address these challenges and realize the community’s priorities, however, the Initiative was not supported by a majority of property owners. 

Ballot Results

On Wednesday, June 19, 2019, staff oversaw the tabulation of ballots from the recent Clean Water and Storm Drainage Initiative. Of 11,126 ballots mailed to property owners, 4,609 ballots were received. The results of the tabulation showed that 2,570 votes were against the fee and 2,039 votes were for. City Council is scheduled to adopt a resolution on Tuesday, June 25 certifying the results of the tabulation.

City Proposal

After a strategic evaluation and consideration of numerous potential solutions the City proposed a storm drain fee along the same lines as the water, sewer and garbage fees residents pay for those services. The City felt this was an effective, practical and fair way to allocate costs with the fee for an average homeowner being approximately $7 per month. This fee would have enabled the City to effectively ensure clean water, sustainably invest in our aging storm drain infrastructure and protect our neighborhoods from local flooding.

The plan was multi-pronged:

  • Focus our clean water services to improve trash clean up and reduce pollutants like sediment, mercury and PCBs
  • Enhance our operations and maintenance function
    • to meet the strictest clean water requirements
    • to keep our system clear of debris that can lead to local flooding
  • Sustainably invest in capital projects to meet storm drain capacity needs well into the future thus protecting property from local flooding

Procedure Followed

State law (known as Proposition 218) requires that the property owners in Los Altos approve of any new fee such as this, so the City is embarked upon a mail-in ballot process for the community that included several steps. Here is an outline of milestones in the City's process:

  • City Council initiates the process (completed on October 9, 2018, Resolutions 2018-39 and -40)
  • City mails Notice of Public Hearing to all affected property owners (early March)
  • Four Community Meetings 
  • Public Hearing on Rates (April 23, 2019)
  • Mail Ballots to affected property owners (early May)
  • Ballot period ends (June 18, 2019)

Additional Resources

Below are links to various documents that will help you learn more about the City’s stormwater system and its needs, how the proposed fees would have been structured, and the procedures that were followed.  If you have any other questions you may call the Los Altos Engineering Department at (650) 947-2780.

  • Printer-friendly version