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Commission hears proposal to raise stormwater ERU from $104 to $125 to support backlog of capital projects
Summary
Staff proposed a 20% stormwater rate increase (ERU from $104 to $125) projected to generate about $600,000 and help fund an approximately $14.4 million stormwater capital program, much of it expected to be grant‑funded. Commissioners asked whether the hike will provide sufficient local match for state and federal grants.
The commission discussed a staff proposal to increase the stormwater equivalent residential unit (ERU) rate from $104 to $125 (20%) as part of the FY2026 budget, a change staff said is intended to help address a backlog of stormwater capital projects.
"We are recommending an increase of 20% instead of CPI this year, and that would bring the ERU rate from $104 to $125," Drury said, adding the change would generate approximately $600,000 in additional revenue for the stormwater fund. Cowper and Drury said this revenue is only one funding piece; staff expect to combine local funding with grants for major projects.
Drury presented a stormwater capital summary showing roughly $14.4 million in anticipated projects, about $10 million of which staff expect to come from grants (including a secured $6 million grant for Corbin Park and a $4 million Historic West Side grant in progress). She said $4.4 million of the program would be funded from stormwater revenues and that the fund is projected to end FY2026 with a positive balance after reserves.
Why it matters: Commissioners pressed staff on whether the proposed 20% increase is sufficient to meet state matching requirements or to cover expected project costs — staff said the scale of projects will be better known after Phase 2 of stormwater studies and that regional and state funding will be necessary for the largest items.
Next steps: Staff will continue the stormwater study work, refine project cost estimates and return with additional detail on the rate proposal's sufficiency for matching grants and phases of work.
