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Storm Water Utility FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The City of Monroe will be implementing a storm water utility. The storm water utility will provide a dedicated source of revenue for the City to improve, operate and maintain the storm water management system. Currently expenditures for storm water management have come from the City's general fund (i.e. property taxes) and/or from special assessments. The utility will reduce or eliminate the need to levy taxes for these projects and will instead apply the charges proportionally to those people who contribute to storm water runoff and receive benefit from storm water management.
Why does the City need storm water management?
The Federal Clean Water Act and the WI DNR are requiring the City to make changes in the way it regulates and handles storm water. Failure to adequately manage the City's storm water system increases the risk of flooding, affects the operation of other utilities, most notably the sanitary sewer system, increases soil erosion, and threatens the quality of surface waters and the environment.
What is a Storm Water Utility?
A storm water utility is responsible for funding the operation, construction, and maintenance of the City's storm water infrastructure, and for storm water system planning. A storm water utility generates its revenue through user fees very much like a wastewater utility funds the City's sanitary sewer and wastewater treatment system. The fee is based on the amount of storm water a particular parcel passes to the storm water system. In general, the more runoff a parcel contributes, the greater the fee.
How much will this cost me?
The City currently spends $543,000 per year for storm water related services and this money comes from taxes. The storm water fee per household in Monroe is estimated to be $5.00 per month, or approximately $60.00 per year. By contrast, under the current tax system of funding the storm water management program, the average household would pay about $101 per year in taxes to fund this program. The average household storm water utility charge in Wisconsin is $47.26 annually. The storm water fee will appear on your next utility bill.
Why is a Utility being considered now?
The City has been aware of the need to address surface water management projects for many years. The needs of the City to adequately address storm water will only increase as development continues to occur in and around the City. Additionally, the State of Wisconsin recently began requiring increased storm water pollution prevention and water quality practices for certain communities in the state, including the City of Monroe. The institution of these new regulations creates additional expenditures that would otherwise come from property taxes or general revenue funds not specifically earmarked for storm water management.
How can I reduce my monthly fees?
Non-residential property owners who install and maintain storm water management devices (such as detention ponds) that reduce the City's cost providing storm water service may apply for a reduced rate for managing their own storm water.
However even if a property were to generate no runoff, there would still be a minimal fee applied to the property for the costs associated with maintaining public roads and public properties that also generate storm water runoff.
What will be the fee be based on?
There is a strong correlation between the impervious ground cover (pavement, roofs, etc.) on a property and the amount of storm water runoff and pollution that property generates, therefore, impervious area is the "meter" used to measure storm water system "use" in a storm water utility. As more impervious cover is created there is proportionally less vegetation and less soil area for the absorption of rainfall. The City has used detailed maps, aerial photos and site plans to determine the amount of impervious cover that exists on each parcel and determine fees. Nonresidential parcels are billed according to their measured impervious area. Residential parcels are billed according to the number of living units based on the average impervious area associated with a single living unit in the City of Monroe.
Isn't this just another tax?
No, the fee is similar to the routine water and sewer fees currently paid by all contributing customers. This fee, by incorporating tax-exempt properties, actually reduces the overall cost to taxpayers. The storm water fee is based on the percentage of impervious area on a parcel and applies to both taxable and non-taxable properties.
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