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Consultants recommend $7/month stormwater fee; council will review credits and appeals process
Summary
LSSE recommended an ERU (equivalent residential unit) of 5,800 sq ft and a $7 per‑ERU monthly fee (about $84/year for a typical single‑family house) to fund roughly $965,000 in dedicated stormwater needs; council will consider the design, credits, appeals and billing approach.
A consultant presentation proposed a stormwater fee for Murrysville based on an equivalent residential unit (ERU) metric and recommended a rate of $7 per ERU per month, equal to $84 annually for the typical single‑family home.
Sean Wingrove of LSSE explained the methodology: using aerial photography and GIS to estimate impervious area, the analysis identified a benchmark ERU of 5,800 square feet of impervious surface for the average single‑family lot in the borough. LSSE estimated roughly 12,000 ERUs in the community and $965,000 in annual stormwater needs (administration, operations and maintenance, capital improvements and MS4 compliance). "So that would be the flat rate for single family," Wingrove said when presenting the $7/ERU/month example.
The consultant described five property categories (single family, townhome, large single family, non‑single family/commercial, and vacant land) and explained that non‑single family properties would be billed proportionally to their impervious area. Credits were discussed for on‑site stormwater practices (rain gardens, detention), and an appeal and field‑review process would be available for property owners who dispute impervious‑area calculations.
Wingrove said the fee is intended to be dedicated to a separate stormwater fund rather than mixed with the general fund, and that communities nearby have adopted similar approaches with varying ERU values. Council members asked about billing cadence, churches and nonprofit exemptions (the consultant said there are typically no blanket exemptions), and how the new fee would relieve pressure on the general fund. Council members will review the study and consider next steps at future meetings.
