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Engineering Department - Stormwater Utilities Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is a stormwater utility? ANSWER: A stormwater utility is a mechanism to fund the cost of municipal services directly related to the control and treatment of stormwater. A stormwater utility will operate in a similar fashion as a water and sanitary sewer utility. The utility will be administered and funded separately from the revenues in the general fund, ensuring a dedicated revenue source for the expense of stormwater management. The stormwater utility was established to provide revenue to maintain and improve existing stormwater infrastructure in the City of Barberton, as well as develop a comprehensive stormwater management plan as mandated by the Federal government in the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) Phase II National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit.
Q. What kind of municipal services will be funded? ANSWER: Some of the items that may be funded by the revenue generated by the s tormwater utility include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Costs associated with the Best Management Practice (BMP) measures outlined in the Stormwater Management Plan. • Increased maintenance/repair of Barberton’s stormwater system. • Construction of replacement or new stormwater projects. • Maintain collection and disposal of debris from street sweeping and leaf pick-up. • Field inspection and enforcement of Barberton stormwater design standards and regulations. • The purchase of specialized equipment necessary for storm sewer maintenance. Q. Why does Barberton need a stormwater utility now?
The USEPA has listed control measures that communities must implement as part of the stormwater management program. In addition to meeting the City’s stormwater needs, Barberton’s new stormwater utility will provide the City with the tools necessary to meet the new regulations. Click here for USEPA website.
A comprehensive program is needed to:
• Improve the water quality of local rivers and streams • Reduce flooding • Improve stormwater drainage • Comply with new regulations from the USEPA.
Q. When will the utility fee be established?
Q. Who has to pay? ANSWER: All developed property in the City of Barberton will pay the fee unless exempted by the ordinance. The only exceptions are those that are declared exempt properties by the ordinance. There will be no service charge for parcels of land with improved values less than $5,000 and no service charge for public road rights-of-way that have been conveyed to and accepted for maintenance by the City or the Ohio Department of Transportation, and that are available for use by the general public for transportation purposes. In Addition, there will be no service charge for city owned parcels. Q. Are we the only city with a stormwater utility fee?
Q. Isn't there already a fund for stormwater or drainage?
Q. Will I receive a separate stormwater bill? ANSWER: No, the stormwater fee will be a new line item on the bill you currently receive forother utility services such as water, sanitary sewer, or sanitation services.
Q. Isn’t this just another tax? ANSWER: No, it is a user fee based on the amount of stormwater runoff a property contributes to the system.
Q. I don’t remember voting on this? How can the City do this without a vote? ANSWER: Under the Ohio Constitution and State Law, cities are allowed to set up a user fee for water, sanitary sewer and/or stormwater by a vote of City Council. An initiative petition or vote of the people is not required under this law.
Q. How can we be sure that the money raised will be used for stormwater improvements and not diverted to other projects by the City? ANSWER: All of the funds raised by the utility will go into a stormwater “Enterprise Fund.” Under state law, money in enterprise funds can only be used for their intended purposes. The city currently has enterprise funds for its water services and its sanitary sewer system. Q. Is this utility a way for new developments to avoid their responsibilities for managing stormwater? ANSWER: No, all new development will still be required to follow existing city ordinances and all state and federal regulations. Existing regulations require developers to build, at their expense, storm drain systems, stormwater detention facilities, and water quality basins to manage the runoff generated by their developments. Once a lot is developed, that lot will be subject to the same stormwater fee as existing lots.
Q. Who do I call if I have additional questions about the stormwater utility or how my fee was calculated? ANSWER: Call the City Engineer, James L. Beckett, at (330) 848-6724 or send him an email at engineering@cityofbarberton.com or visit the City Engineering Department website.
Q. What are the utility fees based on ? ANSWER: All residential properties will be charged the base fee.
Q. What is the base fee? ANSWER: The base fee is $5.00 per month. Q. What is a residential property? ANSWER: As defined in the ordinance creating the stormwater utility, a residential property means a developed property that is utilized for dwelling units within the District.
Q. What are the utility fees based on? ANSWER: The number of ERU’s calculated by dividing the area of the property by 0.199 and multiplying the result by the property’s runoff rate (0.80) determined by Ohio EPA divided by the residential runoff rate (0.40) determined by Ohio EPA.
Q. What is an ERU? ANSWER: ERU stands for Equivalent Residential Unit. ERU means the amount of storm water runoff from an average single family Residential Developed Property (established by this ordinance to be 0.199 acre or 8,668 square feet) located within the City multiplied by the Residential Runoff Rate. Q. What is the fee for each ERU?
Q. What is other developed (non-residential) property?
Q. How are ERUs calculated for other developed property? ANSWER: The minimum utility fee for any developed property is never less than one ERU. The ERU will be rounded to the nearest ERU. For Nonresidential Property: Number of ERUs to be calculated by dividing the area of the property by 0.199 and multiplying the result by the property’s runoff rate divided by the residential runoff rate. The maximum number of ERUs shall be the average number of ERUs for each land use code as established by the County Auditor. For example, if a developed (non residential) property has 0.341 acres the property will be charged 3 ERU’s (0.341/0.199X0.80/0.40=3.4). Therefore, the total stormwater utility charged to this property would be $15.00 (3.0 ERU * $5.00/ERU = $15.00). |
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