By Beth Wade

Thursday, 29 December 2011

GEORGETOWN — The Georgetown City Council will hear the second reading of an amendment to the storm water drainage ordinance Jan. 10 that could increase the monthly storm water drainage fee by 50 cents. If finalized, the change would go into effect March 1 and increase the fee from $4.25 to $4.75.

The first reading of the ordinance was approved Dec. 13.

The fee, which is part of the monthly storm water drainage assessment on utility bills, pays for construction and maintenance of drainage projects such as the expanded culverts for Smith Branch under Maple Street.

The fee is based on the median square footage of impervious cover, the percentage of a lot that is covered by structure or pavement that creates storm water runoff, for residential lots in the city. Since the fee was last adjusted in 1995, the median impervious cover for a residence in Georgetown has increased from 2,088 square feet to 2,808 square feet, according to a news release from the city.

While residential impervious cover has increased, the overall impervious cover from commercial properties has decreased, resulting in a decrease in fees for commercial customers from $73.53 per 36,000 feet of impervious cover to $60.80, according to the release.

The ordinance was also changed to allow billing of the storm water fee to individual apartment units. The current ordinance assesses multifamily complexes at the commercial rate. Other changes are to the billing process for commercial accounts and would provide a discount to commercial property in the city that does not drain into the city’s service area, according to the release.

The City Council will meet Jan. 10 at 6 p.m. in the Council Chamber and Courts Building, located at 101 E. Seventh St.