The Urbana City Council is expected to vote on the implementation of a stormwater utility as well as whether to adopt a Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) agreement with Damewood Enterprises and Navistar LLC during its 6 p.m. meeting today in municipal court chambers.
In July 2016, council created the Stormwater Advisory Committee to look into the possibility of establishing a stormwater enterprise fund to cover operations and infrastructure costs associated with the city’s storm sewer system. The committee’s recommendation is scheduled for a vote in the form of an ordinance seeking to establish a stormwater utility and a Stormwater Utility Review Committee.
If approved, the city – within the coming months – would begin charging a $5 flat rate per meter per month to city utility bills regardless of residential, commercial or industrial classification. Non-city utility customers would be charged the fee as well.
After five years, the stormwater utility would be subject to review by the Stormwater Utility Review Committee. At this point in time, the committee could decide to raise (no more than a 10 percent increase) or lower the rate.
Warehouse in the works
Council is scheduled to be presented with a resolution concerning a CRA agreement involving the city, Damewood Enterprises (property owner) and Navistar LLC (lessee).
The agreement centers around the proposed construction by Damewood Enterprises of a 355,000-square-foot warehouse on Phoenix Drive that would be leased to Navistar.
If approved, Damewood Enterprises would be granted a tax exemption of 100 percent of real property tax for 10 years.
In return for the exemption, Navistar would agree to retain 114 full-time jobs currently in Urbana, transfer 27 full-time jobs from Xenia to Urbana and create 13 new full-time jobs.
In other business:
•The administration will seek council’s approval to enter into a renewal base contract with Susan Tehan, Oak Dale Cemetery coordinator, for $13,710 for 2017.
•Council will hear the first reading of a resolution allowing the director of administration to submit an application to the Dayton Power and Light Foundation for grant funding.
•A resolution authorizing the mayor or his designated representative to apply via the Champaign County Commission for fiscal year 2017 funding through the Community Development Block Grant Community Development Program will undergo a first reading.
