Sept. 10, 2025 — The Orange City Council voted to reimpose the city's stormwater assessment for tax year 2025, increasing the annual charge per Equivalent Benefit Unit (EBU) from $16.50 to $23 under resolution No. 392‑25.

Finance Director Devlin Moore said the rate change follows the stormwater rate study and master plan the council adopted on June 24, 2025. Moore said the proposed rate aligns recurring revenues with the operating and maintenance needs identified in that study and that required public notices were published and included on the TRIM notices mailed by the property appraiser.

During public comment, business owner Alan Bradley said he maintains a private stormwater system and questioned how the city's EBU calculation affected commercial properties. Bradley described his concern about the scale of the increase for businesses, saying the assessment represented a substantial new annual cost for nonresidential parcels. City staff explained that EBUs are calculated from impervious area data maintained by the property appraiser and that the method divides impervious area by 500 square feet to determine EBUs.

Council members emphasized the study basis for the increase and said the assessment proceeds will be applied to stormwater maintenance, capital improvements and to align the fund with the adopted master plan. The council then adopted resolution No. 392‑25 by roll call; the resolution reimposes the assessment at the new rate for the coming tax year.

What the change means: under the adopted rate, the annual assessment per EBU will be $23. The presentation noted the city currently accounts for 20,270 EBUs (citywide EBU count shown in staff materials); property owners with larger impervious areas will be assessed proportionally. Staff invited property owners with questions about EBU calculations to meet with the interim city manager and finance staff to review parcel-specific calculations.