Cincinnati's Metropolitan Sewer District could charge those who own large parking lots, garages and other impervious surfaces for runoff those structures cause, but it's not a done deal yet.
Hamilton County Commissioners Tuesday heard an update about MSD's research into an impervious surface fee. The sewer district is in the process of meeting with stakeholders and completing research on the idea, which would split the way it currently charges property owners to assess how much impervious surface a property has and charge a fixed rate based on that surface area. Currently, MSD only charges for sanitary sewer service.
The proposed fee structure would pull new ratepayers into MSD's system: owners of structures who don't currently pay for any sewer service but cause runoff. That could offset costs for homeowners and others without a large portion of impervious surface area on their properties.
Some neighborhood groups in communities like South Cumminsville, where sewer overflows have caused large problems, have long campaigned for such a fee. Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus supports it.
"This is an equity issue, and we simply need to have people who are dumping more water into the system paying more," she said. "That alleviates some of the burden on people who aren't doing that, primarily single family homes and small units."
Commission Vice President Alicia Reece isn't sold on the idea, saying what MSD has presented so far is unwieldy and doesn't add money to the district's revenue. She's worried small businesses, churches and renters in large apartment complexes could get stuck with a bigger bill for their parking lots.
"I'm not saying it wasn't a good idea to look at," Reece said. "But I'm not convinced. I think it's too complex."
Hamilton County Commissioners passed a resolution in 2019 asking the county's administration to research an impervious surface fee after that was recommended by the county's Rate Affordability Task Force.
While MSD hasn't gotten far enough to provide exact calculations, it's likely most homeowners would see a reduction in their rates under the potential fee structure. The current plan would separate residential properties into five tiers based on amount of impervious surface. Those under 4,000 square feet of those kinds of surfaces — think concrete — would likely see a reduction in their bill.
MSD estimates the average impervious surface area of a single family home is about 2,370 square feet. In an example given by MSD, a home that size would see a 25% decrease in their current charges.
Commissioners will have to approve the fee structure. Other sewer districts in Ohio, including Columbus and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, charge a similar fee — though there are structural differences in the way those districts are organized.