A stormwater utility is a funding source for stormwater activities. It is no different than a sanitary sewer utility, a water utility or an electric utility. Most utilities were once funded through the general City fund early in their existence. In each case, it was found to be more fair to charge based upon use rather than based upon property values.
A stormwater utility is the most equitable means of paying for the stormwater services that are provided throughout the City of Manitowoc. Properties pay generally based upon the amount of impervious area that they contain. Impervious surface is any surface which does not allow water to pass through to the soil. Rooftops, driveways, parking lots and streets are familiar examples of impervious surface. The larger the impervious area, the more stormwater that facility contributes to the stormwater system. Those who contribute more, therefore, pay a larger stormwater utility fee.
What services are provided through the Stormwater Utility?
A stormwater utility would fund services such as leaf pick up, which is currently offered three times a year. It also can fund the design, construction and maintenance of stormwater detention ponds that are created to protect public health, public safety and improve water quality and flooding issues. The creation of a stormwater utility would also mean that properties would not be assessed for the installation of storm sewer services. Currently, the City assesses approximately twenty dollars per foot for an average new stormwater sewer. This leads to assessments for the average property in the thousands of dollars.
Also funded by the utility would be street sweeping, which ensures that local waterways are protected from any wastes or debris that could enter via the storm sewer system. Manitowoc is know for our clean neighborhoods and that clean image begins with our City streets.
The maintenance and cleaning of the storm sewer pipes are also a service that would be provided for with the creation of the stormwater utility. Despite our street sweeping efforts, tons of debris each week enters the stormwater sewer system and we need to clean the pipes so that they work properly and so that the streams and rivers are not polluted.
How is the stormwater budget currently paid for?
Currently the stormwater budget is paid for by the general revenue fund. That is to say...from property taxes. Businesses and industry pay for approximately 46% of the stormwater budget, while the single family homes of the City pay approximately 54% of the stormwater budget. The shift to a stormwater utility, as proposed would mean that the business and industrial facilities would then pay 47% of the stormwater budget, while the single family homes in the City will pay 37% and tax-exempt properties will contribute 16% of the budget.
What is an ERU?
An ERU (Equivalent Residential Unit) is the average amount of impervious surface of a single family home in the City of Manitowoc. This is the basic building block or measuring unit of the Stormwater Utility. All impervious surfaces of non-residential properties are charged based on this amount. The total impervious area of non-residential properties are divided by this number to calculate the number of ERUs that a given property contributes. Simply stated, the ERU (in our case 3,167 square feet) is the average residential impervious area.
What will I pay for a stormwater utility fee?
These are preliminary proposed units. A study is currently being conducted by Earth Tech.
Single-family, two family (duplex) and three-family homes will be charged based on 1 ERU or $6.00 per month
Each residential condominium unit will be charged based on 1 ERU or $6.00 per month
Any multifamily and non-residential developed property (business, industrial, commercial or tax-exempt) will be charged based on actual impervious area. The total impervious area will be divided by the square footage of one ERU. This total will then be multiplied by $6.00, the cost of a single ERU.
Stormwater Utility Charge Calculator
(Non-Residential ONLY)
The results of this monthly Stormwater Utility charge are for comparison purposes only. They will be a close approximation of actual amount and the calculation assumes that you are inputting the correct data. For most users, it will be a helpful guide to determine a very approximate financial impact upon your property.
To use, enter the amount of impervious surface, including rooftops, parking lots, and driveways (e.g. 34000), and click the Calculate button. Clicking the Reset button will clear entered values.
Enter only numeric values (no commas), using decimal points where needed.
Non-numeric values will cause errors.
