Who is charged the stormwater fee?
The stormwater fee will be billed to all owners of developed property in the City of Jacksonville. Owners of property that is completely vacant - void of any development - will not be charged.
501(c)(3) organizations and those meeting certain income criteria are eligible to be exempt from the stormwater fee.
Other property owners may be eligible for fee discounts through adjustments or credits.
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How will I be billed for the stormwater fee?
The City of Jacksonville sent the first bills on April 30, 2008. The stormwater fee billing period is six months, from July 1 to December 31, 2008. (Depending on your property type, your bill may also include a solid waste fee.)
Starting in 2009, the bills will arrive in April and reflect charges for the whole calendar year (January through December).
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How much will I pay for the stormwater fee?
Your fee is based on the amount of impervious area on your property. Impervious area is that which does not allow water to percolate directly into the ground. For a typical homeowner, that would include not just the house itself, but things like patios, driveways and sheds.
The average homeowner will pay $5 per month, or $30 for the first bill and $60 annually.
Non-residential properties (such as businesses) were analyzed individually to determine the exact amount of impervious area.
How the Stormwater Fee is Determined
Stormwater Fees by Property Type
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How do I pay the stormwater fee?
Payments must be made in full to the Tax Collector, either by mail or at one of the branch offices.
Partial payments will not be accepted, so you'll have to pay your entire stormwater fee (and solid waste fee, if applicable) at the same time, unless you have applied for a fee adjustment, exemption or credit, before July 1, in which case your bill won't be due until your application is approved or denied.
We cannot accept credit card payments or payments online for either fee.
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What if I don't pay the stormwater fee?
Late fees of 1 percent per month will start to accrue on the stormwater fee beginning July 1. Remember, we cannot accept partial payments - if you are charged both the stormwater fee and the solid waste fee, you will have to pay both at once by the due date.
If you submit an application for a fee adjustment, exemption or credit before July 1, your total bill (stormwater and solid waste, if applicable) will not be due until your application is approved or denied.
If you submit your application on or after July 1, you'll still be assessed late fees and be subject to discontinued collection service until your total bill is paid in full, regardless of whether your application is ultimately approved or denied.
Continued failure to pay may result a lien being placed on your property. While the lien cannot result in foreclosure, it will continue to accrue interest, and will have to be paid in full prior to the transfer of title/ownership.
Remember, we cannot accept partial payments!
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Is there any way to get my stormwater fee discounted or reduced?
There are a few ways to have your stormwater fee changed:
- Adjustments based on incorrect fee charges/calculations
- Exemptions based on income level or IRS tax status
- Credits for providing facilities or services that support or enhance the city's stormwater system
Visit the Stormwater Adjustments, Exemptions and Credits page to learn more.
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Will I still have owe the solid waste fee if I'm exempted from the stormwater fee?
Yes, unless you also successfully apply for a solid waste fee exemption. However, it will be a rare occurrance that a property owner would qualify to be exempt from both the stormwater fee AND the solid waste fee.
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Why did Jacksonville institute a stormwater fee?
Historically, the allocation of funds has not been sufficient to address all of the city's stormwater service needs. Although the city has good job of providing stormwater services on a limited and inconsistent budget, the backlog of stormwater needs has grown.
As our neighborhoods age, so does the stormwater infrastructure. Many of our oldest neighborhoods have drainage systems that are woefully inadequate by today's standards, and that systems they do have are deteriorated.
The stormwater fee provides the Stormwater Management Utility with a dedicated funding source to address the immediate problems and plan for the future, without having to compete each year against police, fire, libraries, parks, and other city services funded from the city's general budget.
State and federal laws also require that communities address the environmental impacts of stormwater pollution, but do not provide funds to do it. The stormwater fee will help our government meet that obligation.
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Why should I pay for rain falling on my property?
When raindrops land on an impervious area, they collect all sorts of pollutants, such as oil, grease, fertilizers and sediments. Engineers can predict and correlate the amount of pollutants contained in stormwater based upon the amount of impervious area on a property.
That stormwater - and all the pollutants it collects - eventually makes its way off of your property into the city's stormwater management system, either by road, ditch, pipe or other conveyance. The city's system discharges into our area creeks and tributaries, and eventually, the St. Johns River.
Ultimately, we all have a stake in improving the health of our community's greatest asset.
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Why should I pay if there is no stormwater inlet/ ditch/curb in front of my property?
All properties generate stormwater runoff that must be conveyed, transported, stored, treated, and discharged by the city. Even though the stormwater inlets, ditches, pipes and ponds may be remote from your property, your parcel still contributes runoff which ultimately discharges to the city stormwater management system and ultimately to the St. Johns River.
Additionally, our community must meet the increased regulations for stormwater runoff that have been established by the state and federal governments. The city's stormwater management system is governed by a permit issued by the federal government. In order to maintain that permit, we must meet the requirements of the new regulations.
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My property retains water/doesn't discharge to the city's system. Why should I pay?
A common misconception is that if a property owner (or Homeowners Association) has a stormwater pond, or has no stormwater facility nearby, then the city's system is not used at all. Generally, that is not the case.
An average pond only treats about 30 percent of the pollutants in stormwater and controls only about 70 percent of the volume. It is very rare that a private system handles all of the stormwater runoff generated by that property. What usually happens is that a stormwater pond will treat and hold the water for a short time, but eventually discharge into the city's system through a creek, outfall or pipe.
However, the city has established a credit policy that allows property owners to seek discounts for structures (such as ponds), programs and/or services that help to improve the city's stormwater management system. For more information, visit the Adjustments, Exemptions and Credits page.
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Will I get discount or refund if it doesn't rain?
The stormwater fee isn't intended to be effective just for when it rains, although the fee will help the city handle rain events by funding maintenance, rehabilitation and capital improvement projects.
The fee will also be used to help the city meet the increased demands of the state and federal government to lower the nitrogen levels in the St. Johns River. Treating stormwater runoff after it rains is just one component of a broader program that will ultimately bring us into compliance with those new regulations.
My house isn't as big as you say it is. How did you determine my property type?
The city used Property Appraiser data as a basis of determining your property type category. However, that data doesn't necessarily include every kind of impervious area that may be on a parcel - most notably, it excludes driveways.
So, in order to account for the area not captured, the city used high-resolution aerial photography to digitally analyze samples of various residential property types around the city. With that data, we were able to determine the average square feet of impervious areas not otherwise accounted for.
For example: the Property Appraiser's database says the total area on your property, including your house, patio and garage, is 3,200 square feet. Our statistical data indicates that a property with that much square footage has at least an additional 1,451 square feet of impervious area. So, by adding the Property Appraiser's actual data (3,200) to the sample data (1,451), your house would fall into the Residential Large category.
Why am I getting charged for stormwater when I'm (not) on city sewer (septic)?
The stormwater fee has nothing to do with potable (drinking) water or wastewater, or whether you're on sewer or have a septic tank.
Stormwater is rain. The stormwater fee is being charged to you for the service the city provides in controlling, storing and/or treating the community's stormwater runoff .