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Charleston City Council moves to bill stormwater fee through property tax system
Summary
Council approved an amendment to the city's stormwater ordinance to shift billing of the $11 monthly stormwater utility fee from Charleston Water System accounts to property tax bills; the change preserves the fee status and shifts collection timing for 2026 charges to the 2025 tax bill.
Charleston City Council on May 27 approved an amendment to the city's stormwater ordinance that will change how the city bills its stormwater utility fee. The council voted to shift billing for the $11-per-month equivalent residential unit (ERU) fee from Charleston Water System (CWS) monthly utility accounts to the property tax billing system, with the change affecting the 2026 billing year.
The measure, presented by Matt Fountain of the city's Public Works and Utilities staff, will require intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) with two counties to implement the new billing arrangement. Fountain said the fee will remain a utility fee rather than a property tax, and that the city will continue monthly billing through CWS for the remainder of 2025. "It is still acting as a fee. It would not be part of your property tax. It's just billed through that same system," Fountain told council during the presentation.
City officials said the change will alter who receives the bill: instead of the CWS account holder receiving monthly…
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