City staff to explain new non-residential property rate structure.
The monthly Drainage Utility Fee (DUF) for most non-residential properties, including commercial and multi-family with three or more units, will be affected by a new rate calculation that takes effect February 1, 2020. The fee for single-family residential and duplex properties will remain $6 per month.
A public meeting is scheduled November 19 at 1 p.m. at the Utility Collections Building, 210 W. Avenue C. The meeting is organized to help non-residential customers understand the fee change. Staff will make a presentation and be available to answer specific property questions.
The DUF is a monthly charge assessed to all properties that has been in place since 2001. Revenue is used to improve and maintain the City’s drainage infrastructure system and to protect water quality. Programs work to reduce flooding, erosion and pollution to protect lives, property and the environment.
In July, City Council adopted a change to the DUF calculation for non-residential properties that is based on actual impervious cover. Impervious cover includes surfaces that do not allow rainfall to absorb into soil thus creating runoff into waterways. The calculation uses an Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU), which is a unit of measure of impervious cover based on the average residential property. One ERU equals 3,027 square feet of impervious cover. That value is then applied to each non-residential property based on actual impervious cover as identified in 2015 aerial photography and construction plans.
Non-residential customers may reduce their monthly rates by removing any excessive impervious cover and revegetating the disturbed area or by applying for stormwater credits for instituting best management practices.
The City has created an online map that shows each property and its current and proposed fees. Non-residential customers are encouraged to visit the map to see the proposed fees and to identify any changes to their properties that may have occurred since 2015.
A dedicated Drainage Utility Fee webpage, KilleenTexas.gov/DUF, contains basic fee information and links to the full ordinance, the property map, best management practices and other resources.