Stormwater bills in unincorporated Volusia County will go up 50 cents a month

Volusia County residents outside of a city or town will see their stormwater bills increase by 50 cents a month to help cover growing public works costs, and other customers will also see an increase.

The Volusia County Council recently approved the increase after reducing the amount initially proposed by county staff, which was $1 the first tax year and another dollar the next year. The new rate goes into effect Oct. 1.

Residents receive the bill for the fees annually as part of their property tax bill.

The current rate is $72 per year per single-family dwelling for residential customers, and it's been that way since 2005. So people will see their bills rise to $78 a year.

For non-residential customers, the cost is calculated differently. It's going from $6 to $6.50 per month per the number of "equivalent residential units" of impervious surface on a property ― 2,775 square feet is one equivalent residential unit.

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The 50-cent increase is expected to more than cover a shortfall expected in the Stormwater Fund while the county conducts a rate study and looks at other options for funding the department's future budget.

The county's stormwater program has expanded over the past 12 years "from basin watershed planning to program implementation, including construction projects, stormwater system maintenance, and increased program management demands," according to the county.

Some projects have been postponed over the past couple of years.

"At the current funding rate, the estimated time to complete the known capital projects is greater than 25 years," according to county documents.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Volusia Council OKs stormwater bill increase of 50 cents