To pay for the unfunded Federal and State mandated stormwater requirements, Stormwater Fees shall be established by County Council using the following formula:
(a) For purposes of calculating the Stormwater Fee:
(1) Impervious surfaces shall mean those hard surfaces which either prevent or retard the entry of water into the soil and include, such surfaces as roof tops, asphalt or concrete paving, driveways, parking lots, walkways, sidewalks, patio areas, storage areas, graveled areas, or other surfaces which affect the natural infiltration.
(2) The Assistant County Administrator for Public Works shall determine the amount of impervious area on each developed non-residential property. The determination will be made using information derived from digital and other photographic data, Greenville County Geographic Information System (GIS) data, and other additional information, if available, to supplement such data. Upon written request to the Assistant County Administrator for Public Works, an owner, or lawful occupant obligated to the owner for payment of the stormwater fee shall be provided with a written determination of the amount of impervious area for which the stormwater fee was charged.
(3) The Assistant County Administrator for Public Works shall determine the mean average amount of impervious surface on all developed residential properties in the County using a statistical process. This mean average shall constitute the Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) that shall be used to calculate the fee for residential and non-residential parcels.
(4) The ERU shall be the billing unit used in the formula for calculating the stormwater fees for each parcel. The number of ERUs for all developed and undeveloped residential properties shall be 1. The number of ERUs for all developed non-residential properties shall be determined by amount of impervious area on the property divided by the ERU and rounded up to the nearest whole integer. The number of ERUs for all undeveloped non-residential properties shall be 1.
(b) The annual stormwater fee shall be calculated using the following procedure:
(1) Classification 1. The stormwater fee for all developed residential properties shall be calculated by multiplying 1 ERU by the applicable developed residential property rate.
(2) Classification 2. The stormwater fee for all developed non-residential properties shall be calculated by multiplying the number of ERUs calculated in subsection (a)(4) above by the applicable developed non-residential property rate.
(3) Classification 3. The stormwater fee for all undeveloped residential properties shall be calculated by multiplying 1 ERU by the applicable undeveloped residential property rate.
(4) Classification 4. The stormwater fee for all undeveloped residential properties shall be calculated by multiplying 1 ERU by the applicable undeveloped non-residential property rate.
(c) The County Administrator or his designee may establish 1 or more rates for residential properties. These rates may be based on lot size, house size or other relevant factors determined by the County Administrator or his designee.
(d) The County Administrator or his designee shall develop rules and regulations that allow for an on-going reduction in a customer’s stormwater fee for non-residential properties. The credit shall be allowed for certain qualifying activities that reduce either the impacts of stormwater runoff or the County’s costs of providing stormwater management services. The maximum amount of credits allowed for any non-residential property will be 25%. The Assistant County Administrator for Public Works shall have the authority to charge customers a stormwater credit application fee, which shall be based upon the estimated costs of reviewing, processing, and administering the credit application and mechanism.
(Ord. 3617, passed 8-20-2002)