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Audit finds inconsistent stormwater charges; city will update impervious-area billing
Summary
A billing audit and impervious-area mapping found some properties were over- or undercharged under Bedford’s existing stormwater structure. Staff and consultants said correcting the impervious-area database and updating business processes will adjust individual bills even without a fee change.
Consultants told council that a separate impervious-area mapping effort revealed inconsistencies in how the stormwater fee was applied across properties, and that correcting the underlying property impervious-area records will affect individual bills.
"There was just relative to what we saw for the mapped impervious areas, the charge sometimes was more than it should have been, sometimes it was less," Trey Shanks said. He explained the city’s project mapped rooftop and pavement areas for every property to reallocate charges equitably based on runoff impact.
Consultants and staff said fixing the database will produce winners and losers: "Some would have a lower rate and some would have an increased rate even if there wasn't a rate adjustment for the CIP," Trey said. The team recommended updating business processes and maintaining the property impervious-area records in GIS so billing stays accurate going forward.
Council asked whether the adjustment itself would resolve revenue gaps or whether a rate change would still be required to fund the CIP; staff said both outcomes are possible depending on policy direction. The council directed staff to include corrected customer counts and bill impacts in the follow-up financial analysis requested for the next meeting.
