Here in the City of Knoxville Stormwater Report is information on the possibility of a “rain tax” A good summation was posted over on the website of the “Big Metal Shed on the Hill”. The Tennessee State Legislature recently passed Stormwater Management Legislation (Senate Bill No. 68 and House Bill No. 56) which provides the City of Knoxville with sufficient enabling authority to implement the required NPDES stormwater management programs. This legislation also provides the City with the option to finance the stormwater management program with a stormwater utility. The City is currently considering a stormwater utility study which would determine billing rates for property owners who discharge stormwater to the municipal storm sewer system. Typically, stormwater utility rates are based on the percentage of impervious area on a property. The City has considered applying the Stormwater Utility Fee through the Knoxville Utility Board (KUB) existing billing system. If the City chooses to implement a Stormwater Utility, the fee system would be devised to provide sufficient funding for all of the proposed NPDES stormwater management programs.
Charlotte, NC has a “rain tax” that generates almost $10 a month from homeowners and $136 a month from commercial properties. All property owners are subjected to such taxes. Schools and Churches are not exempt. A caller on the ed and bob show this morning said that in Houston, TX it has raised over $400 million a year.
