Bowling Green commission advances first reading to create stormwater utility with $4/month residential fee

The Bowling Green Board of Commissioners on Nov. 4 advanced the first reading of ordinance BG2025-26 to establish a stormwater utility and related fee structure, a measure city staff says is intended to address longstanding drainage and flooding problems across the city.

City staff presented the proposal and an analysis that defines an equivalent residential unit (ERU) at 4,200 square feet of impervious surface. Matt, the city's stormwater lead, told commissioners that the ordinance would set a $4 monthly residential charge (a total of $48 per year) and a commercial ERU methodology, and would create a fee-in-lieu-of-construction option developers have requested. Matt said the city will not begin collecting fees until Jan. 1, 2027, to allow time for system setup, credits and interlocal billing agreements.

Why it matters: City staff described a large, multi-decade backlog of stormwater needs and said the utility would provide dedicated revenue to assess the system, prioritize urgent repairs and plan larger mitigation projects. Matt said the ERU calculation was supported by aerial/land-cover data…