Fees for stormwater regulation and control, including land disturbances, will be increasing in the city of Collegedale. When property is disturbed, it requires time and attention from the city to issue permits. The current fee structure does not allow Collegedale to recover a reasonable fee to reimburse the actual costs, officials said.
At the commission meeting Monday night, the board of commissioners approved an amendment to the municipal code that will base the fee on the size of the property.
The stormwater permit fees will start at no charge if the size of the property is less than 10,000 square feet and $100 for property that is 10,000 square feet up to .9999 acres. The highest increment is $10,000 for 150 acres or more.
Collegedale will be applying for two grants. During a recent inspection of the airport, some obstructions to both runways were discovered caused by trees that have grown. Chris Swain, director of airport operations, received approval for an airport grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation that will give Collegedale $29,300 to do a drone survey to pinpoint the trees which then can be shown to the property owners. The grant will pay 95 percent of the cost and the city will be responsible for $1,465, just five percent which was included in this year’s budget.
The city will pay for the work, including trimming or cutting the trees, possibly with help from another grant and/or large property owners. In the past when similar work has been done, said Mr. Swain, there have been no problems getting permission from the property owners. They will be sent proper notifications before Mr. Swain meets with them. Removal of the obstructing trees will allow the airport to keep its license.
Authorization was also given for the city to participate in the “Safety Partners” matching grant program from the Public Entity Partners. Money received from this grant will be used to make Collegedale a safe workplace. The 50 / 50 grant will reimburse the city for up to $2,000 for the purchase of personal protective equipment such as safety glasses and boots. The majority of this equipment is used by the public works or building codes department, said Mr. Swain.
Repairs to the roof of the Collegedale Library that are being made due to the tornadoes in April, are nearly complete. Mayor Katie Lamb said the work should be finished next week.
The next meeting of the Collegedale Commission is scheduled for Aug. 17 at 6 p.m.