Stormwater fee to increase from $6.50 to $8 a month in unincorporated Volusia County
Property owners in unincorporated Volusia County will see an increase in the stormwater charge that is part of their annual tax bills.
The Volusia County Council on Tuesday voted 5-2 to raise the fee from $6.50 to $8 a month, the maximum it could be increased, and future increases could be coming. It will take effect Oct. 1.
The fee will be $8 a month for single-family dwellings. For non-residential customers, the fee will be $8 per month per equivalent residential unit "of 2,775 square feet of impervious (water can't get through) surface," according to the county.
County officials said more funding is needed to improve the program's level of service and to keep it from losing money in the future. The county plans to return to the council as part of the budget process to propose further increases.
Stormwater management is critical to managing flooding issues in the county, according to officials.
The county's level of service for the stormwater program is a C+ on an A-D scale, according to a presentation by Volusia County Public Works Director Ben Bartlett. At the current service level, the program is focused on addressing critical needs only from the capital improvement plan.
The county wants to get to an overall level of service of B, which would include more proactive implementation of the capital improvement plan. Getting to that level would require a monthly fee of $12, according to Bartlett's presentation.
District 4 Councilman and Vice Chair Troy Kent and District 1 Councilman Don Dempsey voted against the increase. Kent supported a $1 increase.
An increase to $7.50 would bring in around $750,000 a year extra in revenue, Bartlett estimated. An increase to $8 a year will bring in about $1.1 million over the current revenue.
District 5 Councilman David Santiago pointed out that the county's budget is over $1.1 billion.
"The $1 is not enough. Let's send a clear message. Let's take this issue serious," Santiago said.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Some Volusia County residents will pay more for stormwater fee
