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Atherton officials will consider how to fund repairs – some of which would provide “significant” safety improvements – to a Peninsula storm drainage system that is more than 50 years old at a City Council meeting on Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 3).
The meeting will start at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the town’s council chambers at 94 Ashfield Road.
Atherton Channel Drainage District’s estimated annual revenue of $83,000 is not enough to fund updates to the system. The district updated a storm drainage master plan in 2015, which determined a series of projects that need to be completed to keep the system running well.
The channel runs through Atherton, Menlo Park and other areas, capturing stormwater and sending it to the San Francisco Bay, said Robert Ovadia, Atherton’s public works director.
“These funds are used for channel cleaning and capital improvements, but revenues are insufficient to fund replacement of channel lining,” according to a staff report.
The district categorized different system needs. The most immediate need is for improvements that mitigate flooding problems that can create “significant life and safety issues,” according to the district’s master plan. This includes replacing eroding channel lining on the Atherton Channel north of Interstate 280 between San Francisco Water Line and Reservoir Road, according to the master plan. The city is considering building a water detention facility that would cost an estimated $73,000 to maintain each year.
The council will consider alternatives for funding the district at its Wednesday meeting. The district has 1,354 parcels in Atherton and 1,041 parcels in Menlo Park, according to the staff report. Atherton City Council is the district’s governing body.
There are three financing options on the table, according to town staff. The first option is to expand the district’s boundaries to add more parcel tax dollars. The second is to ask parcel owners in the district to vote to increase their property tax assessment to fund the fixes. A third option is having a joint powers authority – which San Mateo County could form to address issues related to stormwater and sea level rise in the region – consider solutions to the district’s needs.
Also on the agenda:
• A presentation on how power purchasing agreements can be used as part of the civic center project if the town adds a photovoltaic system, or solar panels, to the project. The town’s long-awaited new civic center would house the town’s council chambers, the library, town administration buildings, the police department, the building department and public works.
A solar power purchase agreement is a financial arrangement in which a third-party developer owns and operates the solar power system, and a customer agrees to site the system on their property and purchases the system’s electricity from the solar services provider, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This allows the customer to receive what is often low-cost electricity, while the solar provider receives tax credits and income from electricity sales.
A Peninsula Clean Energy representative will discuss power purchasing agreements, said City Manager George Rodericks. Peninsula Clean Energy is the county’s official electricity provider. The county and all 20 of its cities launched the group in 2016 to meet local climate goals.
The council may provide feedback on potential solar agreements. It will direct staff on whether or not to keep investigating these agreements for the project, according to the council agenda.
