Covington council adopts 6% annual surface‑water management rate increase, to be reevaluated within three years

The Covington City Council on Tuesday approved a 6% annual increase to the city’s surface‑water management (SWIM) rate beginning in 2026 and asked staff to return within three years to reevaluate the forecast and regulatory outlook.

Council adopted the rate after a staff presentation that described regulatory and maintenance pressures on the fund, including National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) requirements, the stormwater management action plan (SMAP) subbasins, increasing contract and construction costs, and a growing inventory of public stormwater infrastructure from recent development. Staff presented a six‑year forecast showing that, without rate increases, the fund would…