City to use limited stormwater funds to bridge short grant gap for education plan
Summary
City staff told the council an education and outreach plan for stormwater permit compliance is mostly grant-funded but may need up to $10,000 from stormwater funds to finish work during a three-month funding gap; staff also described results from a community survey guiding the program.
Shannon (Surface Water/Stormwater staff) told the Lake Stevens City Council the city's stormwater education-and-outreach contract with the Snohomish Conservation District is primarily funded by a noncompetitive state grant tied to the city’s Phase 2 stormwater permit, but a three-month lapse in the grant cycle will create a short funding gap.
Shannon said the gap affects work scheduled between the end of the current grant and the new funding round, which begins July 1. To avoid missing Ecology’s internal deadline for having an outreach plan in place by July 1, she proposed using existing stormwater program funds ("probably $10,000 or less," she said) to finish the plan now and be reimbursed when the next grant cycle begins.
Why it matters
Shannon said the outreach plan is required by the city’s Phase 2 stormwater permit and that the survey and plan are intended to target community knowledge gaps and preferences for outreach. She said the program’s goal is practical: create materials and events the community will use and that meet Ecology’s permit expectations.
Survey results and outreach approach
Shannon said initial survey response was low, so staff boosted social-media outreach and sent a postcard mailer with a QR code; responses rose roughly 50% after the mailer. Preliminary survey results showed most respondents understand what stormwater is and identified new development, vehicles and boats as the greatest perceived sources of pollution. Respondents prioritized concerns about aquatic life and near-stream development and asked for more brochures, social-media material and in-person staff booths at events.
Shannon said staff will tailor summer outreach to the community’s preferred channels and may use existing events or informal park booths rather than a single large "I Love the Lake" event this year; the city will finalize the plan based on survey results. She told council members that the contract with the conservation district is fully grant-funded except for the short gap and that the next state grant round is expected to begin July 1.
Council feedback and next steps
Council members complimented the postcard design and asked for clarification about the noncompetitive state grant and the risk of not receiving the next grant round; Shannon said the grant is typically available to municipalities under the Ecology permit framework and staff do not expect a funding denial but cannot backdate grant reimbursements to cover the interim period. Shannon offered to return with plan materials and final survey tallies once the plan is complete.
Ending note
Shannon asked whether the council had concerns about using up to $10,000 of stormwater budgeted funds to bridge the gap; none were raised on the record and staff said they would proceed and return with the final plan.
