Delmont council considers future stormwater fee
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Delmont officials have broached the idea of imposing a stormwater fee on residents.
“Monroeville has enacted a stormwater fee,” Councilman Stan Cheyne said. “They’ve essentially told residents, you need to pay a fee for the runoff you are contributing to the system.”
North Huntingdon officials are in the process of developing a similar fee.
Stormwater runoff is rain that is not absorbed by the natural features of land but rather “runs off” and enters a public collection system. Impervious surfaces such as driveways can produce runoff.
Faced with an estimated $9 million in stormwater projects to help meet the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act, North Huntingdon officials this week were presented with a plan for raising money by levying a monthly $7 fee on property owners.
Both towns must complete stormwater projects to meet state requirements, including regulations under the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, or MS4, program.
In Delmont, a recently completed stormwater project at Newhouse Park coincided with a project between Dogwood and Stotler drives, and there is the additional burden of two state consent orders related to sewage and stormwater.
Cheyne said that in order to put a stormwater fee in place, the borough would have to form an authority board. State code governing boroughs does not allow for the fee to be implemented simply by ordinance.
“The difficulty is getting people to serve on these stupid things,” Hewitt said. “The borough code is the only one that hasn’t been amended to allow for the imposition of this type of fee. It’s been done everywhere else, and we don’t really know what the holdup is when it comes to boroughs.”
Cheyne and borough engineer Kevin Brett said the formula for a stormwater fee would depend on a number of factors including property size and the amount of impervious surface on a property that is channeling water into borough sewer systems.
“If this council (thinks) we need to raise funds to address stormwater, the fair way to do it is to create this authority,” Cheyne said. “I don’t think we should wait around for the state, since it’s been two or three legislative sessions waiting for it to happen.”
Brett said the typical stormwater fee ranges between $3 and $12 per month depending on the size of a homeowner’s lot.
Council did not take any action on the proposal at its Jan. 10 meeting.