Riverside details stormwater utility billing, credits and Rumpke rollout; city to seek contractor authorizations Aug. 18

City staff presented a detailed implementation plan on Aug. 4 for Riverside’s newly adopted stormwater utility and for the upcoming solid‑waste service change. "That 1 ERU is 2,923 square feet," a staff member said when explaining how the utility will measure impervious surface to set bills. The city’s billing unit (one equivalent residential unit) is 2,923 square feet of impervious area. Residential bills will be tiered by impervious area. Under the proposal shown to council, Tier 1 properties (0–2,200 sq. ft. impervious) pay $7 per month (about $21 per quarter); Tier 2 properties (2,201–3,600 sq. ft.)—the average house—pay $12 per month (about $36 per quarter); Tier 3 properties (over 3,600 sq. ft.) pay a higher rate according to the measured impervious area. Nonresidential bills will be calculated by dividing a property’s measured impervious square feet by 2,923 to produce an ERU factor and then multiplying by the applicable ERU charge for the quarter. Staff said the plan is to bill quarterly in January, April, July and October. Staff described stormwater credit options designed for household‑scale installations: rain barrels, rain gardens, vegetative filter strips or removal of impervious surface. The maximum credit available across credit types is 25 percent. Applications and guidance documents will be ready ahead of the first billing season; staff said credits will be inspected and, if approved, will apply for three years and then require renewal. On customer service and billing technology, staff recommended InvoiceCloud for online payment processing and Peregrine Corporation for bill design, printing and mailing after a vendor quote process. The contracts to authorize those third‑party services were scheduled for council consideration at the Aug. 18 meeting, staff said. Staff said the first bills are targeted for April 1, 2026, and would be retroactive to Jan. 1–March 31, 2026. Nonresidential property owners will receive pre‑billing notices in early fall with estimated ERUs so they can review measurements and raise questions in advance. Regarding solid waste, staff said the city’s new contractor, Rumpke, will distribute collection containers starting Dec. 15 at the city parking lot and will begin service Jan. 1, 2026. Staff also discussed collection‑billing mechanics and noted the city can assess unpaid charges to property tax bills under city code; they are developing collection and customer‑service policies to reduce delinquency. Council members asked how bills will be delivered, whether property owners or tenants are billed (staff confirmed bills go to owners), and whether online payment and automatic billing options would be available; staff said InvoiceCloud offers online account dashboards, pay‑by‑text and automatic payments, and the city will also provide an in‑lobby kiosk and a 24‑hour drop box for payments. Staff said the nonresidential pre‑billing and credit application process, vendor authorization and Rumpke implementation schedule are the next steps; staff will return with contract resolutions on Aug. 18 and with additional customer‑service policies and outreach materials in the fall.