The City of Harrisonburg adopted a Stormwater Utility Fee to provide funding in the support of the operation, maintenance, and regulation of the City's extensive stormwater management system. A Stormwater Utility Fee is a “fee for service” based on the amount of impervious area on a property (roof, parking areas, walkways, etc). This is similar in concept to how the City distributes the cost of sanitary sewer and drinking water services but uses impervious area instead of a meter to determine a property’s fee.
The utility fee has been designed for owners of developed property in the City to assist in stormwater management program costs. The utility fee program is based on the amount of impervious area on developed property because properties with higher amounts of impervious area contribute greater amounts of stormwater runoff and pollutants to the stormwater management system. Property owners will see this fee as a separate line item on their Real Estate Tax Bill.
The current fee is $8.00 per 500 sq. ft of impervious surface.
To pay for or view your bill, visit the Real Estate Tax page.
Non-Residential Credit Program
- How is the Stormwater Utility Fee calculated?
The fee is based on the amount of impervious area on developed property in the City. Example of impervious areas includes roofs, sidewalks, and parking areas. To calculate your parcel’s annual fee, the city has mapped the square footage of impervious surface for each parcel in the city. This square footage is divided by 500 square feet to determine the number of billing units associated with the parcel. The billing units are then multiplied by the billing rate of $8.00 per year.
Fees for multi-owner properties are calculated based on the total impervious area for the entire complex (all dwelling units, private street(s), and common areas). The total impervious area will be divided by the number of dwelling units to identify the number of billing units for each owner.
For renters, the Stormwater Utility Fee will be charged to the property owner. The owner will be billed and is responsible for ensuring the fee is paid. Any agreement for payment of the fee by the renter or inclusion of the fee in the property’s rental fee is at the discretion of such parties.
- What does the Stormwater Utility Fee pay for?
The City operates under a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Permit Program (MS4 permit). In order to meet permit requirements, the City is required to reduce nutrients that flow into the stormwater system by 100% reduction of nutrients flowing into our local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay by 2028. These fees will go directly to pollution reductions to help manage our polluted runoff more effectively.
The stormwater utility fee pays for the City's projects and programs to reduce polluted runoff. The program will focus on the following activities:
- Development of a city-wide Stormwater Improvement Plan to identify, select, and prioritize capital projects to reduce pollution, manage stormwater, and protect our drinking water sources.
- Design and construction of stormwater capital projects, including retrofits and community greening projects to reduce pollution and improve water quality. This includes projects on city owned properties and partnerships (such as grants or cost-share) with private property owners.
- Coordination of pollution reduction efforts including staff training, pollution prevention and good housekeeping practices for municipal operations, pollution detection and elimination program, and public education and outreach.
- Maintenance and operation of city-owned stormwater drainage and stormwater management facilities.
- How was the Stormwater Utility Fee Program developed?
The program was developed by city staff and the Council appointed members of the Stormwater Advisory Committee and included open house meetings and public input (Learn about the Stormwater Utility Fee development process.)
A variety of public involvement efforts took place in Fall 2014 to reach out to the public to educate and provide an opportunity for input and feedback. These included two open houses on November 12 and December 2, targeted outreach presentations to large rate payers, houses of worship, environmental organizations, and tax exempt organizations. Comments were received and compiled for submission to City Council through emails to city staff, Be Heard Harrisonburg, and through public comment forms collected at the two open house meetings. The February 24th, 2015 City Council Meeting also included a formal Public Hearing.
- How was the impervious area on my property assessed?
The City used a combination of aerial photography, parcel information, as-built drawings, and final approved site plans to identify impervious areas on each property. The impervious area mapped on your property can be viewed on the city website GIS viewer. Impervious area mapping is based on aerial photography and will be updated once every five years to account for new development. Any billing related to changes of ownership and new impervious area from construction requiring city permits are updated annually.
A property owner may request an adjustment of the Stormwater Utility Fee by submitting a Petition for Adjustment form found in the appendix of the Credit Manual posted on the City website to the Harrisonburg Department of Public Works.
- How do I see how much impervious area is on my property using the Stormwater Utility Mapping Tool?
If you have questions about your stormwater utility bill, or how to use this tool, please call Harrisonburg Public Works at 540-434-5928 or email stormwater@harrisonburgva.gov
- How do I reduce my fee through the Stormwater Utility Fee Credit Program?
Property owners are encouraged to participate in the Stormwater Utility Fee Credit Program and submit an application for new or existing stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) on their properties. By maintaining BMPs, property owners can reduce stormwater runoff volume and pollutant levels from their properties and can reduce their fee by up to 50%.
- How can I receive technical assistance and funding to install Best Management Practices?
Technical assistance and funding for eligible projects is available through the Soil and Water Conservation District's Harrisonburg Conservation Assistance Program (HCAP). Property owners can work with the Shenandoah Valley Soil and Water Conservation District (SVSWCD) to implement BMPs on their properties and then apply for Stormwater Utility Fee Credits through the City of Harrisonburg.
More information about the Harrisonburg Conservation Assistance Program (HCAP) can be found on the HCAP webpage.
If you have additional questions about the HCAP Program, please contact the Shenandoah Valley Soil and Water Conservation District.
Website: svswcd.org
Phone: 540-534-3055
Email: urban@svswcd.org
Office Address: 1934 Deyerle Avenue, Suite B, Harrisonburg, VA 22801
- What if I still have questions?
Questions about the Stormwater Utility Fee – Basic
1. Why has the Stormwater Utility Fee been recommended as the funding mechanism?
Funding a stormwater program using a utility approach has several advantages. First, it fairly distributes the cost of the City’s stormwater services across all eligible properties, including tax exempt parcels, based on the parcel’s contribution to stormwater runoff ( impervious area). Second, under Virginia State Law, the revenue from a stormwater utility must be placed in a special fund that can only be used for stormwater management. This ensures a dedicated funding source to accomplish the goals of the stormwater program. Third, it provides a stable source of funding that enables capital project planning and implementation related to stormwater management.
2. Why are we going to be charged this fee now?
Until this Stormwater Utility Fee, the City did not have dedicated funding for stormwater management and its aging stormwater infrastructure. With more stringent federal and state regulations related to water quality, the increasing need for additional public stormwater services and additional investment is necessary to meet the City’s requirements. The City operates under a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Permit Program (MS4 permit). In order to meet permit requirements, the City is required to reduce nutrients that flow into the stormwater system by 5% over the next three years; over the next 10 years, the City is required to reduce nutrients by another 35%; and over the next 15 years, the City is required to reduce nutrients by another 65% ultimately resulting in a 100% reduction of nutrients flowing into our local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. A Stormwater Utility Fee provides dedicated revenue and enables the City to meet more stringent federal and state regulations for stormwater management. Without a dedicated fee, the City would need to find an alternative method of funding in order to address nutrient reductions and maintenance needs of the stormwater system.
3. Can the fee be used to fund other City programs like Public Safety or Social Services?
No. The Stormwater Utility Fee provides dedicated revenue for the city stormwater management program.
4. How did the City pay for its stormwater services before the utility fee was approved?
Prior to implementation of the stormwater utility fee, stormwater services were funded by revenue derived from property taxes which goes into the City’s General Fund.
5. How much funding will the stormwater utility collect?
The stormwater utility will collect and cover about $1.9 million each year. About 75% of these funds will be used for stormwater capital projects. The remaining 25% of funds will be used to cover the development of a stormwater improvement and polluted runoff reduction plan, street sweeping and flush truck operations, public education and outreach, and good housekeeping for municipal operations. The fee schedule is revenue-neutral in that the total anticipated fees collected will be dedicated to the needs to meet stormwater requirements. Total stormwater program needs are $2.3 to $2.5 million each year.
6. Have other cities implemented stormwater utilities?
Yes, there are more than 1,400 stormwater utilities nationwide and over 20 in Virginia, including the cities of Lynchburg, Staunton, Richmond, Roanoke, and Charlottesville. The municipalities that adopted stormwater utilities selected this approach because it is an equitable way to distribute the cost of operating and maintaining their public stormwater management systems and establishes a dedicated fund that can only be used to address stormwater management issues.
Questions about calculating and billing the Stormwater Utility Fee
7. What happens if I don’t pay my bill?
Fees not received by the due date will be considered delinquent and interest will be assessed. The City has the ability to place a lien on the property if bills are not paid, similar to the enforcement used to ensure tax bills are paid, and the City will pursue collection of the unpaid amount due through legal collection actions.
8. What if I can’t afford the fee?
All owners of eligible developed property are expected to pay the fee. This is a fee for service and supports the work the City does to manage and maintain the extensive public stormwater system. All property owners are expected to pay their share of the costs associated with managing the public stormwater system.
The City offers a Stormwater Utility Fee credit program for residential and non-residential properties. These can be found at the City of Harrisonburg website, www.harrisonburgva.gov/stormwater-utility or by contact the Department of Public Works at 540-434-5928 for information.
9. We are a tax-exempt property, why are we being charged this fee?
The Stormwater Utility Fee is not a tax; it is a service based utility fee, similar to your water or electric fees. All developed properties in the City contribute to stormwater runoff to the system, and benefit from the improvements to the system and/or receive stormwater related services under the City’s stormwater program, regardless of their tax status. The fee is an equitable way of funding repairs and improvements and the cost will be distributed among all eligible property owners.
10. How is the stormwater fee different from my wastewater bill?
The stormwater system is a separate system from the wastewater system. Wastewater is water that discharges from your home or business after being used for washing, cooking, flushing toilets, etc., and is then collected by a series of pipes (the sanitary sewer system) that lead to the sewage treatment plant. Stormwater is water that runs off your property and travels through pipes, ditches, or over roads to local waterway without treatment and needs to be managed to protect public health and safety and to minimize local flooding, stream erosion, and water pollution.
11. How is the stormwater fee different from a tax?
Taxes are collected from property owners based on the assessed value of their property to cover costs for a number of general government services. Property taxes do not apply to tax-exempt properties. A fee, however, is based on the cost of providing a specific program of public services such as gas, electric, stormwater, or drinking water. The stormwater fee provides an equitable way to distribute the cost of managing the public stormwater system as properties pay based on their impervious area, which is the strongest link to the amount of stormwater a property generates, not on the value of their property.
12. Is the stormwater fee tax deductible?
No, the Internal Revenue Service does not recognize fees as being tax deductible.
13. I am moving; can I get a credit for the portion of the year I already paid for?
No, the bill is an annual fee and is assessed to the owner of the property as of July 1 of each year. If a property owner buys or sells a property during the year, the fee should be taken into account by the closing agent.
Contact Information
If you still have questions or would like to speak with someone about the Stormwater Utility Fee, please email Stormwater@HarrisonburgVA.gov or call 540-434-5928.