The City of Fort Myers adopted a Stormwater Utility on March 16, 2009 to improve their level of stormwater services for activities such as improving drainage, fulfilling regulatory requirements, and reducing pollution carried by stormwater to our waterways.

Why do we need a stormwater user fee?

Unlike water and sewer services, there was no dedicated funding for the stormwater system and the City used general funds from taxes to maintain the system. However, with the City facing increasing costs a stormwater funding program needed to be established. A stormwater user fee provides revenue to maintain and improve existing stormwater infrastructure in the City as well as to implement the comprehensive stormwater quality management plan required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

We recognized the need to increase the scope of stormwater services provided by the City for three primary reasons.

First it is the City’s responsibility to maintain the existing public infrastructure, much of which is underground. But just because it is underground does not mean it should be out of mind. For example, failing drain pipes can cause streets to cave in.  In the past, the City has performed spot repairs and filled in sinkholes with dirt and rock, i.e., treating the symptom instead of the cause. This historical level of response was analogous to just fixing potholes in residential streets but never repaving. We needed a more proactive maintenance effort for our storm drain system.

Secondly, we needed to protect our environment and we have new regulatory requirements for environmental protection. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has placed conditions on our wastewater permits that require us to bring the City’s streams and the Caloosahatchee River into compliance with new water quality standards.

The third reason was the need to improve customer services and responses. Currently, people with drainage issues are on a waiting list.  A stormwater service fee based on total impervious area per parcel was determined to be the most fair and equitable method of distributing the costs of maintaining and operating the stormwater system.

What is a stormwater user fee?

A user fee is a mechanism for the City to recover costs for services it must provide to meet public demands and stormwater regulations. The stormwater user fee is structured to recover costs fairly and equitably.

Are we the only community with a stormwater user fee?

No, many cities in the United States and throughout Florida like Cape Coral and Naples use stormwater user fees to address drainage/stormwater issues.

How is a stormwater user fee calculated?

• Step 1 – Impervious Area
  The impervious area is measured from aerial photography, as-built site plans, field surveys and Lee County Property Appraiser Data.
• Step 2 – Rounding Total Impervious Area
  The total impervious area for the property is rounded down to the nearest 500 square feet.
• Step 3 – Standard Impervious Unit
  The impervious area that was rounded in step two is divided by 500 square feet. This is the number of standard impervious units for the property.
• Step 4 – Fee Determination
  The standard impervious units for the property are multiplied by a billing rate of $0.96. This is the monthly stormwater user fee.

When can I expect to see this on my utility bill?

If you are the legal owner of the property and have utilities in your name, the User Fee shall be added to your bill starting April 1, 2009 and every month thereafter. If your bill is less than $15 a month and you do not have City Utilities in your name, you will receive a bill in June for the period from March 17, 2009 to December 31, 2009, and a bill every year thereafter on an annual basis. If you do not have City Utilities in your name and your bill is more than $15 per month, you shall receive a monthly stormwater user fee bill.

 Who has to pay?

All persons that own property that contain impervious surfaces within the city limits shall have to pay.

What will the money be used for?

Stormwater user fees will be used to:

• Meet the requirements of the City’s stormwater permit
• Improve maintenance and repair of the City’s stormwater system
• Develop stormwater design standards and regulations and ensuring they are met
• Construct long overdue flood protection and water quality management projects
• Replace stormwater infrastructure including culverts, curb inlets, head walls and conveyance systems.
• Construct stormwater facilities that will address flooding and water quality issues in the area.

I live in a subdivision that has a community center/pool/private streets. Will my HOA dues increase?

The bills will be sent to the owner of the property. If the parcel is in the HOAs name then it will receive the bill. It will be up to the HOA to determine how to cover this cost.

Can I apply for a reduction to the stormwater user fee?

Yes. The purpose behind the stormwater user fee is to charge parcels based on the dependency of the City’s water management system. The reduction in discharge from your property results in less pressure on the City’s system, which shall result in lower maintenance costs for the City.

The following best management practices are available to receive a reduction in the stormwater user fee:

Stormwater Retention/Detention Structures that were permitting by the South Florida Water Management District for a minimum of a 25 year, 24 hour event storm and are properly maintained

Low Impact Development utilized throughout the entire site (man-made wetlands, lowered landscape islands that are irrigated by stormwater, etc.)

Stormwater Recycling (rain barrels, rain gardens, cisterns, etc.)

I just got the Stormwater User Fee Flyer in the mail and the impervious area is wrong, can I contest?

Yes, please visit the website: http://www.cityftmyers.com/stormwater, and click on “Stormwater User Fee Credits”. An application and supporting documentation shall be required.

How can I apply for a reduction or adjustment to my stormwater user fee?

Please visit the website: http://www.cityftmyers.com/stormwater, and click on “Stormwater User Fee Credits”. Here you will find the manual that was developed to assist you in applying for an adjustment or reduction. An application and supporting documentation needs to be sent to the address shown on the form. Since the Utility has just been implemented, we will be waiving the processing fee of $25 for all applications until June 19, 2009.