Storm Water Utility
Storm Water Utility
On August the 17th, 2007 the Board of Commissioners of the City of Burkburnett, adopted ordinance 735, creating a storm water drainage utility system. As the City of Burkburnett continues to experience positive residential and commercial growth, additional improvements to the existing storm water infrastructure will be required. Where land is in a natural state (pre-development), most rain soaks into the ground. Where development has occurred, rooftops, driveways, buildings, and parking lots (called impervious surfaces) prevent rainfall from soaking into the ground. The rain runs off into streets, ditches, ponds, creeks and rivers, creating the need for drainage systems that protect the quality of our water sources and serve as flood control measures. With an abundance of rainfall this spring and summer, the City of Burkburnett was able to identify several "hot spots" within our storm water infrastructure. We plan to address these "hot spots" as well as adding improvements to our storm water infrastructure for continuing growth and future developments within the City of Burkburnett.
- What exactly is a storm water drainage utility system?
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A storm water utility is a funding source for storm water activities. It is no different than a sanitary sewer utility or a water utility. Essentially, a storm water utility is set up to generate funding specifically for storm water management. Users pay a storm water fee, and the revenue generated directly supports maintenance and upgrade of existing storm drain systems; development of drainage plans, flood control measures, administrative costs, and construction of capital improvements. Unlike a storm water program that draws on the general tax fund or uses property taxes for revenue, the people who benefit are the only ones who pay. By creating a storm water utility, the City of Burkburnett established a source of revenue which supports storm water management through a fair and equitable billing system.
- How will I be billed for the storm water utility?
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The fee for all properties is computed using the same formula, which places all properties on the basis of a single-family living unit equivalent (SLUE). A SLUE is defined as the impervious area of an average residential lot which is 3,500 square feet. The City of Burkburnett has set the monthly fee at $1.50 per SLUE. This means that properties classified as single-family, condominiums and town homes will be assessed a fee of $1.50 per month per utility customer. For non-residential properties, the fee will be based on the impervious land area of the property as determined by the City of Burkburnett. For example, applied to commercial property with an impervious area of 35,000 square feet, the fee would be $15, computed as follows:
- 35,000 square feet impervious
- 35,000 square feet of impervious area divided by 3,500 square feet of impervious area per SLUE
- Equals 10 SLUEs times $1.50 per SLUE
- Equals $15 per month
The City will bill for drainage services on the monthly utility bill along with water, sewer, and solid waste services. Also, a sunset clause of five years has been included in this ordinance. Simply stated, the Board of Commissioners will review the storm water utility program after a five-year period to determine whether the program should be continued or discontinued.
We thank you for the opportunity to serve this community in an exciting time of growth and change. As always, we are committed to protect the community and its utility infrastructure through sound planning, construction, maintenance, and improvement of drainage and flood control systems.