(a) The city council finds that impervious cover increases runoff and associated pollutants. For the purposes of calculating the drainage utility fee, an ERU shall be the established standard billing unit. One ERU shall be billed at $6.61 per month. Each benefitted property shall be categorized as one of the following:
(1) Low occupancy residential property. A low occupancy residential property shall be placed in one of four billing tiers based on residential square footage, identified below, with building permits or the most recent appraisal district data used as a means of estimating the total amount of impervious area on the property. The median single family residential parcel in Fort Worth has been determined to have approximately 2,600 square feet of impervious area or surface or one ERU.
(2) High occupancy residential/non-residential property. Fees for high occupancy residential/non-residential properties shall be based on the total estimated impervious area on each parcel, with building permit information, aerial photography, or actual measurement used as a means of estimating the total amount of impervious area on the property, divided by 2,600 square feet to determine the number of ERUs or billing units.
(b) The city council finds that it is equitable to assess the drainage utility fee to each low occupancy residential property user on the basis of four low occupancy residential property billing tiers and such rates are hereby established.
Billing Tier | Billing Unit - Equivalent Residential Units (ERU) | Billing Basis | Proposed Monthly Rate, Effective January 1, 2024 |
Tier 1 | 0.5 ERU | Up to 1,300 square feet | $3.31 |
Tier 2 | 1.0 ERU | 1,300 to 2,475 square feet | $6.61 |
Tier 3 | 1.5 ERU | 2,476 to 3,394 square feet | $9.92 |
Tier 4 | 2.0 ERU | 3,394+ square feet | $13.23 |
(c) The city council finds that it is equitable to assess the drainage utility fee to each high occupancy residential/non-residential property on the basis of the number of ERU’s in a parcel, which shall be obtained by dividing the estimated impervious area or surface by 2,600 square feet. The calculated number of ERU’s will be rounded to the nearest whole integer other than zero, to determine the monthly fee.
(d) The city council finds it equitable to provide for funding of future construction of the drainage utility system through a contribution from the drainage utility fee.
(e) The city council may review the schedule of rates at any time and may, by ordinance, increase or decrease said rates within the schedule, upon a reasonable determination that said increase or decrease is warranted.
(Ord. 16782, § 1, passed 1-24-2006; Ord. 16843, § 1, passed 3-7-2006; Ord. 17742, § 1, passed 9-4-2007; Ord. 18381-12-2008, § 1, passed 12-2-2008; Ord. 18819-09-2009, § 1, passed 9-15-2009; Ord. 19908-09-2011, § 1, passed 9-20-2011, eff. 1-1-2012; Ord. 23884-10-2019, § 2, passed 10-15-2019, eff. 1-1-2020; Ord. 26205-06- 2023, § 2, passed 6-13-2023; Ord. 26452-09-2023, § 1, passed 9-19-2023, eff. 10-1-2023; Ord. 26561-10-2023, § 1, passed 10-31-23, eff. 1-1-2024)