New Search
Table 9 <br /> Estimated FTE Needed to Conduct Inspections <br /> Jurisdiction: Olympia Bellevue King <br /> County <br /> Approximate Service Area: 18.2 mi2 31 mi2 2,200 mi2 <br /> Estimated#of Facilities 450 1,000 2,500 <br /> Inspected/Year: <br /> FTE Needed Per Facility .001 .002 .002 <br /> Per Year: <br /> FTE Necessary to Conduct 0.4 2.0 5.0 <br /> Inspections Per Year: <br /> Enforcement-Most jurisdictions find that they rarely need to use enforcement <br /> procedures to obtain compliance. In the cases of King County and the City of Bellevue, <br /> sending a"Notice to Comply"citing specific issues that need to be addressed is usually <br /> adequate to get results (Hancock, 1999 and Varner, 1999). For both of these <br /> jurisdictions, a"Notice to Comply"is an initial letter detailing the specific nature of the <br /> infractions. In the case of the City of Bellevue, the owner is also provided with a list of <br /> contractors capable of performing the specific maintenance required(Varner, 1999). <br /> Thirty days after the initial letter, a subsequent inspection is performed by the jurisdiction <br /> to determine if concerns have been addressed. If standards are not met the jurisdiction <br /> will typically resort to more stringent tactics (see appendices for sample, "Notice to <br /> Comply"). <br /> In the case of non-responsive owners, most jurisdictions provide language within their <br /> agreements, code, permits and/or their BMP manuals that specify the fines and the cost of <br /> repairs that may be levied against the owner. If maintenance has not been completed <br /> within thirty days, both the City of Bellevue and King County assess additional fines of <br /> up to $500 per day and in addition bill the owner for the cost of the maintenance <br /> performed(Hancock, 1999 and Vamer 1999). <br /> Incentives-For some facilities,bonding is required to ensure maintenance is performed. <br /> If the level of maintenance is not adequate, the bond amount is forfeited and additional <br /> fines assessed. Bond amounts typically range from 10-30% of the total cost of <br /> construction. Cities that impose warranty periods on facilities, such as the City of <br /> Portland, King County and the City of Bellevue all rely on bonds posted to ensure <br /> maintenance is performed. <br /> As an alternative incentive, King County offers a utility rate discount to private <br /> residential and commercial facilities if they perform and comply with operation and <br /> maintenance required on BMPs (Hancock, 1999). King County encourages detention as <br /> a BMP. Thus, owners can receive one rate level lower to their annual stormwater fee if <br /> Retention/Detention facilities are built to code and meet County maintenance standards. <br /> Also, if maintenance is completed by the time of the initial inspection, owners will <br /> automatically receive a rate lower than their rate at the time of construction. <br /> I:\945042ne\task0400\memo8\Stormwater Policy Team Meeting.doc 12 <br />