DeKalb stormwater fees could go up for first time in nearly 20 years if plan is approved

WSBTV.com News Staff
·2 min read

DeKalb County commissioners are set to vote on whether or not to raise stormwater fees for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The plan would double the current annual rate for every homeowner from $48 to $96 a year. The commissioners said it’s to upgrade the infrastructure, improve sewage and drainage and replace pipes that are decades-old.

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“I was absolutely shocked that it had been almost 20 years since we had a stormwater rate increase,” Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said.

Cochran-Johnson and Commissioner Ted Terry held a town hall discussion on Monday night, saying the hike is needed to improve DeKalb’s aging and often-failing stormwater and sewage system.

“These investments are going to be really important to protect our neighborhoods from severe flooding and support our overall ecology,” Terry said.

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The commissioners are voting on an increase at a time when homeowners are already feeling pinched with inflation and rising prices.

“It sounds like a big deal, but 13 cents a day is really all we’re talking about,” said Rick Lemke, the public works director for DeKalb County,

Cochran-Johnson said the county is still under a consent degree from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and lack of infrastructure is slowing economic development and keeping DeKalb from growing.

“We do not even have the capability to bring businesses online at this moment because we don’t have the water sewer capacity,” she said.

The board meeting starts at 9 a.m. on Tuesday. If the plan is approved, homeowners will see the increase on their property tax bills that go out next month.

Aside from the $48 more this year, the plan also seeks to raise it $12 in 2024 and 2025.

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