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UPDATE: SF 455 passed on the House floor on March 11, and it is moving to the Senate this week. Contact your Senator TODAY!
Senate File 455 would prevent cities and counties from adopting local stormwater ordinances and topsoil replacement requirements for new developments. This would restrict city and county governments’ ability to protect local waterways from degradation, erosion, and flooding due to development pressures. If developers are not required to install effective stormwater infrastructure at the time of construction, community members will be left footing the bill down the road when their neighborhood floods and streambanks erode.
As our communities grow and expand, rainfall has less undeveloped area to infiltrate into soil, and instead flows as runoff to local streams. Just like roadways, drinking water lines, and sanitary sewers, stormwater infrastructure is a necessity, and just like those other kinds of infrastructure, local governments, businesses, and residents all share the costs. For most public infrastructure, developers pay for the initial installation and the local jurisdiction (i.e. taxpayers) pays for the ongoing maintenance, repairs, and future upgrades. Stormwater infrastructure that will protect property and reduce costs for decades must be proactively installed at the time of construction.
Developers are benefitting by building and selling homes in the community. They should pay for the infrastructure that is required to support those new homes instead of pushing those costs onto the rest of the community.
Use the form at the right to send your Senator a message to oppose this bill. We highly encourage you to tailor the message and subject line based on your personal experience and your own community. Form emails and voice messages are often dismissed by legislators. Personalized messages have a much greater impact! Learn more about the bill using IEC's SF 455 Talking Points to help supplement your message.
You can also call the Senate Switchboard at 515.281.3116 and ask to be transferred to your Senator's office to leave a message about this bill. Here is a draft script that you can personalize:
"Hello, my name is _____ and I live in ______. I am asking you to oppose SF 455. This bill would allow new development to increase the risk of flooding and erosion near my home by preventing local governments from adopting local solutions to stormwater management. As communities in our district see increasing development, it’s more important than ever for local governments to have control to protect current and future homeowners from erosion and flooding. It is also unfair to ask the rest of a community to subsidize proper stormwater infrastructure in a new development or pay for the damages and repairs when that development causes downstream flooding or erosion. Developers that are benefitting from building and selling homes in my community should have skin in the game for the infrastructure that supports those new homes. Say no to SF 455!”
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