Poland will re-do ordinance for stormwater utility fee

POLAND

An ordinance to collect a storm water utility fee passed in April, but now village council will hear a reading of a new ordinance to replace it.

Council members want to remove the cap on the storm water utility fee, which is based on Equivalent Residential Units (ERU). An ERU serves as an index to compare the runoff water generated by different-sized properties with different amounts of impervious surface.

The April ordinance authorized a $3.50 monthly fee, which officials estimate will bring in $70,000 annually, and originally capped any commercial property at five ERU, said Mayor Tim Sicafuse.

“Each home regardless of size would be $3.50 per month, or $42 annually, for any homeowner regardless of the size of the home,” Sicafuse said.

He said that will remain the same, but the new ordinance will not include a cap for commercial property and will equate every 2,500 square feet with one ERU. The monthly rate is $3.50 per ERU.