Some of Bunnell’s stormwater infrastructure has been underground since the 1960s. Now, the city is confronting failing pipes, flooding and standing water — without a dedicated stormwater utility or funding source to address the problems.
For the past three years, city officials have been working toward a solution, including consideration of Bunnell’s first-ever stormwater utility fee.
But the timeline changed late Friday.
The city had been expected to consider three options Monday night, each carrying a different budget and a different level of funding for stormwater improvements. The stormwater fee discussion was pulled from the agenda, giving city leaders more time to determine how they want to address the aging infrastructure.
“We don’t have a stormwater utility and we have issues of flooding, failing culverts, and standing water,” Bunnell City Manager Dr. Alvin Jackson said.
City Infrastructure Director Dustin Vost and Jessica Sheeler recently took us into an area near the railroad tracks to see some of the infrastructure firsthand.
The system is a patchwork of pipes, including infrastructure that has been in place for decades.
Vost pointed out the difference between the concrete pipe running underneath the railroad tracks and corrugated metal piping connecting to it.
“Going under the railroad track is a concrete, but from that gap right there going across is corrugated metal piping,” Vost said.
Parts of the metal piping show visible signs of rust.
“You can see some of the rusting right there,” Vost said.
The infrastructure is also located near active railroad tracks, adding another challenge to maintaining or replacing portions of the system.
Bunnell has never had a stormwater utility, meaning the city does not have a dedicated stormwater fee or dedicated stormwater fund.
That has left the city trying to address infrastructure that has continued to age while also dealing with flooding, failing culverts and standing water.
The proposed stormwater utility fee has been under consideration for about three years.
City officials had been preparing three options for the council to consider, with each option representing a different level of funding and, ultimately, a different amount of work the city could afford to complete.
But residents will have to wait longer to see which option — if any — the city ultimately chooses.
The city pulled the stormwater utility fee discussion from Monday’s agenda late Friday.
That means the immediate question is no longer which of the three fee options the council will choose, but what comes next as Bunnell continues to deal with aging stormwater infrastructure.
For now, the pipes remain underground — and the city is still working on a plan to pay for their replacement.