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1) It kicks in July 1, 2023. The town is doing its best to communicate about the stormwater/rainwater utility/tax...And in relative terms, it is not a large amount of money. But for some people it is....just one more of the “death by a thousand cuts” expenses that makes Franklin increasingly unaffordable for residents. To understand this new tax and how it works, here is a sampling of some of the useful websites and assets provided by the town:
- The home page of the Stormwater Division
- Flyers and Brochures
- The Town’s 4.23 minute “explainer” video
2). The science that the EPA used to mandate Franklin’s massive construction project to ‘capture and clean’ natural rain water is flawed. Much of the “pollution” it counts occurs when deciduous leaves fall to the ground and begin to decay, and rainwater flows on, over, or through the leaf debris. A century ago when Franklin was less forested, we might not have had this problem at all. But despite the pollution being natural, Washington DC has mandated that we work to eliminate it.
3) The utility model has the virtue of being imposed on all properties, including non-profits that usually escape taxation. There is also no need to raise taxes or fight for a share of the municipal budget. It creates a separate revenue stream. Municipalities Love “Utilities” because they have reliable income and little political risk. Once they are instituted, voters have little or no say.
4) Municipalities also Love “Utilities” because they typically get less scrutiny than tax-supported operations. They become, in effect, protected revenue silos operating within local government.
5) Get it in writing. A couple of years ago, a highly placed town official promised that all driveways, dirt, gravel, asphalt, concrete, etc. would “count” the same toward determining imperviousness – and therefore, the amount of “rain tax” to be paid. Based on that, yours truly gave up on the idea of installing pervious pavers and opted to install a traditional asphalt driveway. Now that the published regulations are out, it is clear that gravel, pavers, and other alternative to asphalt or concrete DO earn owners a credit, because they are pervious, lowering the utility fee for a property. Oh, well....I’ll be smarter next time.
