§ 45-61-4. Powers of councils.
The city or town council of any city or town in the state, by itself or with other
cities and towns, pursuant to chapter 43 of this title, and in accordance with the
purposes of this chapter, are hereby authorized to adopt ordinances creating stormwater
management districts, which will be empowered, pursuant to such ordinance, to:
(1) Establish a fee system and raise funds for administration and operation of the district.
The fee system shall be reasonable and equitable so that each contributor of runoff
to the system shall pay to the extent to which runoff is contributed and the state
shall be exempted from the fee system. However, the state department of transportation
shall cooperate with the municipalities in the planning and implementation of wastewater
management ordinances, including the providing of funds, if available, to match the
fees collected by the municipalities annually;
(2) Prepare long range stormwater management master plans;
(3) Implement a stormwater management district in accordance with regulations and model
ordinances promulgated under this chapter;
(4) Retrofit existing structures to improve water quality or alleviate downstream flooding
or erosion;
(5) Properly maintain existing structures within the district;
(6) Borrow for capital improvement projects by issuing bonds or notes of the city or town;
(7) Hire personnel to carry out the functions of the districts;
(8) Receive grants, loans or funding from state and federal water quality programs;
(9) Grant credits to property owners who maintain retention and detention basins or other
filtration structures on their property;
(10) Make grants for implementation of stormwater management district plans;
(11) Purchase, acquire, sell, transfer, or lease real or personal property;
(12) Impose liens;
(13) Levy fines and sanctions for noncompliance;
(14) Provide for an appeals process;
(15) Contract for services in order to carry out the function of the district.