[Archived] City of Alexandria to Hold Open House on Stormwater Utility Fee

For Immediate Release: October 3, 2017

On Thursday, October 12, the City of Alexandria will host an open house to provide information and answer questions about the new Stormwater Utility Fee. The open house will be held at City Hall, 301 King St., from 7 to 9 p.m., in Sister Cities Room 1101.

As part of the fiscal year 2018 budget process, City Council adopted a Stormwater Utility Fee to provide a dedicated funding source to address the increasing costs of recent state and federal Chesapeake Bay protection mandates. The new mandates require the implementation of costly infrastructure associated with stormwater management, along with the continued operation and maintenance of stormwater infrastructure and maintenance of the flood management program.  

The fee will fund stormwater mandates more equitably than by raising the real estate tax, since a fee shifts stormwater management costs to the properties with greater impact on stormwater runoff. The rate paid is directly linked to a property’s impervious areas, which are hard surfaces such as rooftops, parking areas and sidewalks. The average homeowner will pay $70 for the second half of FY 2018.  Smaller residential properties will pay less, and very large homes will pay more.

Beginning May 2018, all property owners will see the new Stormwater Utility Fee included as a line item on real estate bills. Single family residential property owners will pay based on the type of property they own. The fee for all non-residential properties, such as commercial, industrial, apartments, nonprofits, and religious facilities, will vary based on the amount of the property’s impervious area.

By December 2017, the City will have a program in place that will allow non-residential property owners to generate credits to reduce the fee. A program for residential property owners will follow.

By installing and properly maintaining on-site stormwater Best Management Practices and detention facilities (such as rain gardens, porous pavers, and conservation landscaping), or performing certain volunteer or group activities, non-residential property owners may be eligible to earn credits to reduce the fee.  During the open house, City staff will gather feedback from the public about the credit program.

For more information about the open house, the Stormwater Utility Fee and Non-Residential Credit Policy, the City’s stormwater management program, or how residents and businesses can help protect water quality, visit www.alexandriava.gov/CleanWaterways.

For media inquiries, contact Andrea J. Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.

The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended. To request a reasonable accommodation, email geralyn.taylor@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.4084, Virginia Relay 711.