FOR MORE INFORMATION:Engineering Department

T 250.361.0443E stormwater@victoria.ca

1 CENTENNIAL SQUARE, VICTORIA, BC V8W 1P6 | www.victoria.ca/stormwater

Stormwater Engagement Summary

What the City of Victoria Heard• Make the credit program more flexible

and consider additional credit options

• Develop case studies for different property types: include all potential benefits and costs

• Consider a rebate program with the credit program to help offset upfront costs of installation

• Engage associations to help with credit program development and education

• Make the credit program simple and easy to use

• Create clear design guidelines for credit program, explore DYI projects and reduce the need for professional services when possible

• Provide guidance and support to help owners with the credit program

• Consider phasing in charges for properties with increases and consider capping the rates in subsequent years

• Consider adjusting the rate model to address some specific property types and situations

• Continue focus on education about the stormwater utility and the credit program

• Consider changing the implementation date from 2014 to 2015

• Would allow property owners to adapt to rate changes, adjust fees, etc.

• Would give property owners more time to consider rainwater management options that could be suitable for their property

CITY OF VICTORIA

The City of Victoria recently engaged with the community to collect feedback on the change to a stormwater utility model and the proposed rainwater management credit program. This change will introduce a user-pay system for stormwater charges and incentives for properties that manage rainwater sustainably.

Next StepsResponsive to community feedback regarding timelines, the implementation of the stormwater utility and the credit program will now take place in 2015, instead of 2014.

The additional feedback collected is now helping to guide the details of the stormwater utility and the rainwater credit program.

CITY OF VICTORIA

Engagement Activities and ParticipationFeedback from two focus groups was used to develop the fall engagement activities that included three open houses and 10 stakeholder meetings. Surveys were also used to collect feedback. Three educational videos, an interactive online historical timeline, Rain Garden Gnomes, print advertising, media relations and social media outreach were used to raise awareness about these changes.

Engagement Activity Details Participation

Media Relations:

A media event celebrated local property owners who manage rainwater sustainability and introduced Rain Garden Gnomes.

14 media stories

Open Houses:

Three open houses were held, two at the Victoria Public Market and one at the Burnside Gorge Community Centre.

225 participants

Stakeholder Meetings:

10 stakeholder meetings were held. They included an overview of the changes and small group discussions. Each group then offered up recommendations regarding the stormwater utility and credit program.

143 participants

Surveys:

Five similar surveys were developed for each of the five main property types.

This provided an opportunity for additional feedback or for feedback from people that couldn’t attend the open houses or stakeholder meetings.

263 surveys 143 – single-family homes 76 – multi-unit homes 24 – commercial/industrial 4 – civic/institutional 16 – Tax Exempt

Website:

www.victoria.ca/stormwater

Information included: program details, frequently asked questions, engagement details, links to surveys, an interactive historical timeline and three videos.

732 page views

Social Media:

Facebook

Twitter

9 posts: 17 shares, 28 likes, 40+ comments, 35,516 views

13 tweets: 20 re-tweets

Correspondence:

Incoming correspondence was collected.

98 emails, 79 phone calls, 3 letters

Thank you for your feedback!To view all of the feedback collected you can visit www.victoria.ca/stormwater

1 CENTENNIAL SQUARE, VICTORIA, BC V8W 1P6 | www.victoria.ca