The Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD) is considering a pilot program that would charge property owners with large parking lots, garages, or other impervious, water-resistant surfaces a fee for stormwater runoff those properties produce.
Under the pilot program, property owners who currently don't pay for sewer service would be charged a fee for the amount of stormwater runoff they put into the system.
They could reduce runoff and earn incentives by planting trees or plants to create a rain garden that absorbs water or by replacing their impervious lots with less water-resistant surfaces.
MSD presented the pilot program to Hamilton County Commissioners on Tuesday, saying the impervious surface fee would draw additional revenue, help prevent the sewer system from being overwhelmed by stormwater, and could lower the utility cost for the majority of homeowners and renters in the area.
Commissioner Alicia Reece was skeptical of the pilot program proposal, saying it could put an additional financial strain on small businesses and non-profits like churches, who may already be struggling.
"You [raise the] price on a church, they all of a sudden won't be able to preach on Sunday, or Monday, won't have Bible study on Wednesday, and people won't have enough money to sustain it. " Reece said.
Reece also questioned whether the new charge would reduce the bills of homeowners.
Commission President Denise Driehaus expressed support for the pilot program, saying it could provide a solution to an issue that has been difficult to address while also giving property owners a chance to make improvements to their lots.
"This might result in an increased charge, but if you help remediate some of the water going in, plant some trees, do a retention basin, then you can eliminate some of the costs and help solve the problem with us," Driehaus said.
MSD has been trying to tackle the issue for years. A community task force recommended the impervious surface fee nearly a decade ago, and MSD has been researching the topic for several years. A pilot program could be in place by 2026, but Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas says the county needs to decide whether to proceed with the fee as a permanent part of the sewer district's billing structure soon.
"How long is this going to go on?" she said. "Is this something we really want to tackle?"
Commissioners would need to vote on permanent changes to the rate structure.
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