STORM WATER UTILITY

Executive Summary

 1.   The Public Works Department estimates the annual costs of operating and maintaining the City’s storm water drainage system to be $181,500.

       The system includes storm sewer piping, ditches, drain tile and sweeping of streets.  A source of revenue is necessary to maintain this system.

2.   The monthly storm water utility charges are calculated in proportion to the volume of storm water runoff from a parcel.

3.   Runoff volume is a factor of the parcel’s area and the portion of this area containing relatively impervious surfaces such as rooftops, parking areas, driveways and sidewalks increases the rate of runoff.

 4.   The Public Works Department will place each parcel in the City into one of two storm drainage runoff categories and assign a corresponding Residential Equivalency Factor (REF) for each category as follows:

            a.   Single-family Residential                                          REF = 1.0

            b.   Multi-family Residential, Commercial,

                  Industrial & Institutional                                           REF = 2.5

      The REF is a factor representing the parcel’s depth of runoff relative to the depth of runoff from a single-family residential parcel of the same size.

5.   The formula for determining the monthly charge is as follows:

      Storm Drainage Utility Charge = (REF) x Size of Parcel (acres) x (fee per acre)

6.   The City Council sets the “Fee per Acre” and has determined it shall be $7.50/acre/mo. The Council may adjust the rate to meet the total budgeted expenses.

7.   All single-family residential parcels will be considered to be 1/3 acre in size. The monthly single-family residential charge is $2.50/month. This includes manufactured homes whether billed individually or as a group to the park owner.

8.   Open areas such as parks, cemeteries, woods or wetlands that presently do not receive a monthly utility statement will not be billed for storm water runoff either. The REF = 0.

      City-owed public buildings will also be exempt from storm water utility charges.

9.   Larger commercial, industrial or institutional parcels will have their charges reduced by receiving a 50% credit for the second 5 acres and an 80% credit for the balance of parcel size over 10 acres. The REF is 2.5.

       Example:

       21 acre developed industrial parcel.

       5 acres + (50%) 5 acres + (20%) 11 acres = 9.7 acres x 2.5 REF x $7.50/month