Nantucket finance panel backs bylaw to create stormwater utility, estimates $7–$10 monthly ERU fee
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Summary
The Nantucket Finance Committee voted to recommend Article 71, a bylaw to create a stormwater utility and enterprise fund to fund operations, permitting, and maintenance. Consultants said an equivalent residential unit (ERU) approach would likely average $7–$10 per month, and the utility aims to replace a current general-fund transfer projected at roughly $538,000 for FY27.
The Nantucket Finance Committee voted Feb. 19 to recommend Article 71, a bylaw that would establish a town stormwater utility, a permitting framework for land-disturbing activities and an enterprise fund to pay for operations, maintenance and stormwater monitoring.
Consultants from Hazen & Sawyer and Charles Johnson, the town's stormwater manager, told the committee the bylaw is designed to protect water quality, limit sedimentation and flooding, and give the town a stable funding mechanism for long‑neglected stormwater infrastructure. "We've done the research on that; it's about $7 a month," a Hazen & Sawyer consultant said when discussing typical equivalent residential unit (ERU) fees. "In total between $7 and $10 a month…Over a year, we're looking at $100 to $125 for an ERU." The ERU would be based on impervious area and a credit process would reduce fees for property owners who lower impervious cover.
The bylaw would require permits for land-disturbance above thresholds that will be set in later regulations and would authorize enforcement measures. Committee members and presenters cited two enforcement tools discussed in the draft: a civil penalty structure (a daily administrative penalty and a potential civil penalty for serious violations) and an appeal process under the proposed regulations.
Officials explained that the stormwater program currently receives a general-fund transfer (staff estimated about $538,000 projected for FY27) and that one goal of the utility is to replace that subsidy over time with fee revenue so operations and maintenance can be funded more sustainably. How the fee is billed (as a separate charge, attached to a utility bill, or added to the tax rate for those not on utility accounts) will be decided later; consultants said many towns use existing water/sewer billing to simplify collections for residents.
Committee members asked detailed questions about exemptions, thresholds for homeowner permits, how private infrastructure and easements would be handled, and whether the average homeowner would be affected. Staff said minor landscaping and small residential projects would likely fall below the regulatory thresholds set in implementing regulations.
The finance committee voted to support placing Article 71 on the warrant for town meeting. The motion to recommend the article followed public- and committee-level discussion and was seconded; the committee chair thanked the presenters and staff for the work preparing the bylaw.
