Plantation residents to pay new stormwater fee next year
Residents will pay $2.50 a month for a new stormwater fee likely to take effect in 2013.
The City Council approved the new fee on Wednesday night.
The penalty for not paying the fee is a penalty of as much as $500 a day. Businesses will pay a higher fee depending on their square footage.
"Every dollar you take out of their pocket is a dollar they can't spend on their families," said Councilman Bob Levy, who voted against the measure. It passed 3-2.
The city's administration has long argued that Plantation's pipes are aging and the drainage infrastructure is antiquated. They said an overhaul project is long overdue.
"You can't ignore the city's aging infrastructure. This had to be done," said Councilwoman Lynn Stoner, who approved the plan.
How residents will pay the bill still has to be decided. One possibility is a direct bill at first and eventually tacked on to the property tax bill.
In April, the Council will discuss the possibility of passing a bond. If approved, that would quickly bring millions of dollars to the city for stormwater-related projects, and the $30 yearly fee that was approved Wednesday would pay it off, city officials said.
But Levy disagrees with the new fee for multiple reasons.
"The fee allows for an escalation every year," he said. "It starts off small because everyone says 'What's $2.50?' But future members of the council can change that every year. What protection does the taxpayer have? This will be a never-ending money pit for the taxpayers of Plantation."
And, Levy said, the fee isn't applied evenly. Residents of Plantation Acres are exempt from the fee because they have their own drainage district. But neighborhoods that don't have drainage issues will still have to pay, he said, such as Country Club Estates.
In response the city promised to pave roads in those neighborhoods that don't have drainage problems. But residents argue that what their taxes are already supposed to pay for.
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