Charlotte Seeking Public Comment on Proposed Storm Water Fee Hike for Commercial Properties


Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services held a public meeting yesterday to discuss a proposal that would increase storm water fees for hundreds of commercial property owners in Charlotte.

City and County staff is proposing capping existing storm water fee credits at 71% which is similar to a plan offered in 2012 that would have capped the credits at 75%. You can view the presentation they provided here. They contend that newly built basins established under newer ordinances are currently not given credit for the extra flood control and surface water quality benefits they provide when compared to older basins and that this creates fee disparity. The City estimates that roughly 350 properties will be impacted through lower fee credits, resulting in higher annual storm water fees for those property owners and their tenants.

Several property owners were on hand to express their concerns. They asked about the possibility of grandfathering the older and more established properties and staff responded that their attorneys had cautioned against doing that. Staff was also asked if these diminished credits could be fazed in over a period of time and were told that was a possibility. Staff also told the group that if the credit caps are implemented, the earliest it would likely occur would be July of 2016.

If you were NOT able to attend yesterday’s meeting, you are encouraged to comment online through November 19th, when the plan will be presented to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Advisory Committee (SWAC). If you’d prefer to speak at the SWAC meeting, please contact the clerk at [email protected].

You can find more information on the proposal here.

For additional information, please contact Rob Nanfelt with REBIC at (720)771-3825.

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