(A) All developed land in the town, whether public or private, shall be subject to a storm water service charge. Exemptions shall not be allowed based on age, tax exemption, or other status of an individual or organization. Storm water service charges may be subject to a credit system as further provided herein.
(B) Storm water service charges on developed land shall be based on a schedule of rates, charges, tiers, and late fees fixed and established from time to time by the Town Council, adopted in the annual budget ordinance and maintained on file in the offices of the Town Clerk. Storm water service charges will be determined and modified from time to time by the Town Council, so that the total revenues generated by said charges will be used to pay the principal and the interest on the debt incurred for storm water purposes, and such expenses as are reasonably necessary for providing storm water services within the town.
(C) Computation of storm water service charges.
(1) For single-family developed residential land, the monthly storm water service charges shall be based on the median amount of impervious surface on a single-family residential lot in the town, which is known as an "Equivalent Residential Unit" or ERU. (The median amount of impervious surfaces on a single-family residential lot in the town has been calculated to be square feet.) There shall be two tiers for single-family developed properties, based on the amounts of impervious surfaces of single-family properties, as shown in the following table.
Single-Family Size | Amount of Impervious Area |
Small and medium | Less than ERU square feet |
Large | Greater than ERU square feet |
(2) For other developed residential land, the monthly storm water service charges shall be one ERU per each dwelling unit. This category includes townhouses, apartments, condominiums, and other multi-unit residential developments.
(3) For all other developed properties, the monthly storm water service charge on developed land is calculated by dividing the total impervious surface area of the property by one ERU, rounded to the nearest tenth, multiplied by the established monthly ERU rate.
(D) The following exemptions from storm water management service charges are allowed provided that requests for exemptions authorized under this division are made in writing to the Town Manager or his or her designee and document the application of the exemption. The Town Manager may approve or reject the request in whole or in part.
(1) Undeveloped land.
(2) Improved public transportation ways, including public streets, roads, greenways and trails, airport taxiways and runways, and internal roads within public facilities which have been conveyed to the North Carolina Department of Transportation or the town and which are used by the general public for motor vehicle transportation.
(3) Railroad tracks. However, railroad stations, maintenance buildings or other developed land shall not be exempted from storm water management service charges.
(4) Developed land with less than 400 square feet of impervious surface area.
(Ord. passed 6-25-2007)