Fishers has taken the first step toward increasing stormwater fees, following action Monday by the Board of Public Works and Safety.  The board voted to send the recommended fee hike to the Fishers City Council Finance Committee.  The full council could give final approval to the increase in September.

Rick Farnham, Director of Water Quality, an operation within the Fishers Department of Public Works, told the board that as a result of a  study by Policy Analytics, he is recommending a stormwater fee increase on residential customers of $1.71 per month.  Since most Stormwater Utility residential users are billed annually, they would see an increase of $15.40 in their yearly payment.

According to Fanham, if the city takes no action, the stormwater utility will be operating at a financial deficit in 2019.

Commercial users will see their rates increase between $3,000 and $63,000 a year, based on the size of their operations.  Farnham told the board the Hamilton Southeastern Schools will  be impacted by this increase.

Farnham told LarryInFishers that this is the first increase in the local stormwater fee in the last ten years.  Although this proposed residential fee increase is 35%, if you look at this on an annual basis, the increase comes out to about 3%-4% per year over the past ten years.

The fee increase proposal’s next stop is the City Council Finance Committee.  That panel will vote on a recommendation that will go before the full council for 1st reading at this month’s council session.  2nd reading would be scheduled for August, which would set-up the fee increase to receive a final vote in September, as part of the annual city budget process.