Princeton council backs moving feasibility study for possible stormwater utility into next phase

Princeton’s mayor and council on Nov. 24 signaled support to move the stormwater-utility feasibility study into Phase 3, where staff and consultants will finalize a rate model, credit policy and public-engagement plan needed to decide whether to create a utility funded by user fees.

Deputy Administrator Deanna Stockton told the council the municipal stormwater program is currently “reactive rather than proactive” and has been strained by increased MS4 permit requirements and aging infrastructure. She said staff shortages mean inspections and documentation are difficult to sustain under the new rules.

“Between DPW, sewer, and engineering, we mobilized five to 15 staff at various times over the last six months to conduct inspections, make repairs, and prepare the required documentation,” Stockton said. Project lead Jim Purcell added that inspection duties have fallen largely to one person during rain events and that the Phase 2 work identified numerous outfalls and retrofit needs.

Phase 2 produced an interactive cost model, impervious-surface data (the consultant sampled 360 residential properties), and level-of-service scenarios, the presenters said. The model will be refined in Phase 3 to produce concrete annual budgets and equivalent-residential-unit (ERU) fees. The consultants, Princeton Hydro and WSP, are preparing a proposal and fee estimate for Phase 3; staff said they will return the full scope, schedule and cost to council for approval before any contract is executed.

Councilmembers pressed for two near-term items: the consultant fee for Phase 3 and a public-facing list of on-site actions homeowners could take to reduce future fees. Stockton and Purcell described potential credit-eligible improvements — rain gardens, pervious paving, green or blue roofs and other measures that reduce impervious area — but cautioned that mandatory stormwater projects required by municipal ordinance would likely not be credit-eligible.

“Credits provide an incentive for ratepayers to reduce, but not eliminate, their fee by making measurable site improvements,” Stockton said, describing how state law requires a credit program. Several councilmembers, including Michelle and Leticia, said they favored advancing to Phase 3 while reserving final budget and policy approval until the work product and cost estimate are returned to council.

The study is being pursued against a backdrop of tightened New Jersey MS4 permit duties that, staff said, oblige more frequent inspections, additional documentation and retrofits of noncompliant inlets within specified timeframes. Staff stressed that a utility would treat stormwater as a municipal service similar to sewer or solid waste and would aim to allocate costs more equitably than relying solely on property taxes.

Next steps: staff and the consultant team will deliver a Phase 3 proposal and estimated fee to council; public engagement and a transparent credit policy are expected to be central elements of the next phase.