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Resident questions rising stormwater fee; staff explains ERU-based charge
Summary
A Hermantown resident asked why his semiannual stormwater fee rose; staff explained the fee is a flat rate based on an equivalent residential unit (ERU) tied to impervious surface and is set to cover the city's stormwater maintenance costs.
A Hermantown resident asked the City Council during public discussion why his stormwater fee has increased over recent billing periods; city staff explained the fee is a fixed per-parcel charge based on an equivalent residential unit, not on measured water volume.
Keith Harris of 5632 West Arrowhead Road told the council he received earlier stormwater bills of $42 and $49 and said the latest bill showed $49.68 and a future charge of $51.42. “I paid my storm water fee, and I'd like to know why it keeps going up,” Harris said during public comment.
City staff responded that the stormwater utility fee is designed to cover the city's costs to operate and maintain the stormwater system and is authorized by state law to be billed as a utility rather than through property taxes. “The storm utility fee is meant to cover the city's costs of maintaining our stormwater system throughout the city,” Mr. Mulder said. He explained the fee is based on a concept called the equivalent residential unit, or ERU, and that the city designated 9,100 square feet as the average home ERU for billing purposes.
Mulder said the ERU system charges a flat dollar amount per improved parcel for residences; commercial properties pay the per-ERU rate multiplied by the number of ERUs their impervious surface represents. “What it's based on is the amount of impervious surface that businesses and residents have,” he said. Mulder added that some commercial properties can qualify for discounts if they treat their stormwater onsite.
The council and staff clarified that the fee is not based on measured water volume or the amount of snowfall in a particular season; it is a per-parcel assessment tied to impervious surface assumptions and the city's estimated costs to maintain culverts and drainage infrastructure. Staff also noted the fee schedule and any increases are set by ordinance and that the fee was initially established several years ago with scheduled reviews and occasional small percentage increases to maintain revenue needed for system costs.
Harris thanked the council for the explanation. City staff invited him to stay after the meeting for a further review of his specific bill if he wanted additional detail.
