[mpls] Fee for storm water runoff

[David Brauer]

On Nov 1, 2004, at 9:03 AM, lizski at goldengate.net wrote:
>
> So now our City Council is going to charge the citizen taxpayers for
> rain.  What's next a breathing fee for our air????  City elections in
> 2005 ...keep it in mind folks!!!!
>
> Liz Wielinski
> Columbia Park
>
Actually, this is quite a progressive change. The stormwater fee 
replaces part of the current water fee.

Although the true cost of a sewer system should be based on how much 
water you put into it; however, we currently base those fees on water 
use.

This system lets properties with a lot of "hard surface" - for example, 
parking lots - get out of paying anything even though their runoff goes 
into the sewers. Because parking lots don't use any water, right now 
their owners don't pay anything.

The new system splits out a storm-sewer fee from the water fee. Now, 
properties that allow a lot of runoff will be billed, and since the 
plan is revenue-neutral (a key point not gleanable from the headline), 
properties that allow little runoff will pay less.

One major beneficiary will be apartment-dwellers. They use a decent 
amount of water, but per-person, runoff is relatively low. They will 
still pay a fee for the water they use, but relatively less for the 
stormwater fee.

This is a much, much fairer system and it encourages people to do 
things to mitigate runoff - which is good environmentally. Rain 
gardeners, for example, can get out of 50 percent of the stormwater 
fee.

While there are some devils in the details, they are being worked out. 
This is, in my humble, something to be praised.

David Brauer
Kingfield