Vermont Business Magazine The Town of St Albans faces an increasingly difficult and expensive challenge of addressing stormwater management needs and regulatory requirements. Portions of the watersheds related to Rugg Brook and Stevens Brook have been identified as being impaired due to excessive stormwater runoff. Additionally, stormwater runoff has been identified as a significant contributor to the water quality issues associated with St Albans Bay.
In 2012, the Town of St Albans became listed as an MS4 (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System). Due to the impaired watersheds, the Town is required to make a considerable investment into its stormwater infrastructure before 2036. To make this more feasible, it was determined that forming a Stormwater Utility would allow the Town to raise the funds necessary to complete the required projects.
The Town of St. Albans is the 7th municipality in the State of Vermont to implement a Stormwater Utility.
The Stormwater Utility is based on a user fee system. All property owners in the town will pay a fee based on the amount of impervious area (e.g., pavement, sidewalk, and rooftops) on the parcel. Impervious surfaces increase the velocity and quantity of stormwater runoff- so this approach is a reasonable way to determine the individual impact of a parcel. Based on the average size of Single-Family Residence (SFR), the Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) was determined to be 3500 sf. All SFRs will be billed for 1 ERU a year.
All Non-Single-Family Residences (NSFRs) will be billed based on their total impervious surface- as measured from satellite imagery and GIS based analysis. To calculate the annual number of billable ERUs an NSFR must pay, the total impervious area- measured in square feet (sf) on a parcel will be divided by 3500 sf. This value will then be rounded to the nearest 0.25 ERU.
On May 17, 2021, the Town Selectboard voted to adopt an annual rate of $50/ERU. The first billing will go out in mid-July but will be separate from the Town tax bill. All SFRs will be asked to pay the fee on an annual basis. NSFRs (such as commercial properties) that owe the Town in excess of 20 ERUs annually, will be allowed to pay the fee on a quarterly basis.
The funds generated by the utility fee will be used to implement capital projects- designed to address the needs of the impaired watersheds and Lake Champlain. Additionally, the funds will pay for, operation and maintenance of town owned stormwater systems, improvements to roads, culverts and storm drains, permitting costs, etc.
Source: Town of St. Albans 6.15.2021