Council approves 25¢ stormwater fee increase to $3.50, adopts balanced stormwater budget

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Murfreesboro City Council on Wednesday approved a stormwater budget balanced at $4,150,000 and adopted a user-fee increase of 25 cents per single-family-equivalent, raising the monthly fee to $3.50.

City staff presented the budget and the fee resolution, identified in the meeting as resolution 25 R 16, noting the stormwater user fee had not been increased since February 2008. “Our stormwater budget is balanced with revenues to expenses at 4,150,000,” a staff presenter said, adding the proposed fee change and the budget were presented earlier at staff workshops and a special budget meeting.

The fee resolution and the budget passed on a roll call vote with all members present voting yes. The council’s vote sequence in the meeting record listed Miss Aberwater, Miss Harris, Mister Maxwell, Vice Mayor Shacklett, Mister White, Mister Wade, Mister Wright and Mayor Mary McFarland as voting aye.

The staff presentation noted the rate increase was discussed at an April workshop and the stormwater budget at a May 22 special budget meeting. The council did not ask for additional analysis during the meeting; the presenting staff said they were open to questions.

The council also handled other budget and ordinance business at the same meeting, but no further amendments to the stormwater budget or fee were made. The council did not identify an implementation date in the presentation; that detail was not specified during the meeting.

No statutory citations or state law references were introduced during the discussion; the action was framed as adoption of local budget and fee resolutions.