by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
There is still time for Jacksonville property owners to apply for exemptions or credits for the new stormwater fee that was included in April utility bills.
The Stormwater Management Utility added the $30 stormwater fee for the average property owner to 285,000 bills in April. Applications for an exemption or credit are due before July 1.
“We have about 3,700 applications in the system and another 2,000 to input right now,” said Marcy Cook, spokesperson for the City’s Department of Public Works, which the Stormwater Management Utility is a part of. “We are expecting a big push at the end of the month.”
If an application is received before July 1, the entire city fee bill will not be due until the property owner is notified if the application has been approved or denied. Late fees will not accrue during this processing period.
Filing an application on or after July 1 will cause property owners to be assessed a late fee of 1 percent of their bill while the application is being processed. Since the City cannot accept partial payment, for solid waste only property owners could be subject to discontinued service until the bill is paid in full.
The Stormwater Management Utility is developing a time frame for repeated late fees and when it may impose a lien on the property because of non-payment. The lien cannot result in foreclosure on the property, but interest will accumulate and will have to be paid before the property could be transferred.
“We made sure that when this legislation was developed the fee could not result in foreclosure,” said City Council member Mia Jones, who represents Dist. 10. “We also put the exemption option in the bill to help those people with low incomes.”
Two categories of property owners can be exempt from the stormwater fee: low-income and those with 501(c)(3) status. To be eligible for low income exemption, a property owner must prove that the household has an average income of less than 150 percent of the federal poverty level determined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Applications are reviewed by the City’s Behavioral and Human Services Division. Low-income property owners must file for exemption annually.
Property owners with Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) status must provide proof of the certification. If the application is approved, the exemption will carry over to following billing cycles.
Credits are also available to defer payment. Credits can be earned through service and education.
Two of the biggest credits are available for retention ponds and drainage studies.
“The retention ponds built by developers provide a service to the city,” said Cook. “They treat the stormwater runoff and leave the water cleaner before it reaches the City system or St. Johns River.”
Owners must produce proof the pond was certified by the St. Johns River Water Management District before they are issued a 30 percent credit.
“The basis of the credit is on the permit,” said Cook. “We want to know that (SJRWMD) weighed in on the plans for the ponds and they felt the ponds met the criteria for stormwater treatment and control.”
Property owners can get a credit of up to 50 percent of the fee by providing a detailed drainage study. This credit requires a study that provides specific details on water quality and quantity and the information needs to be certified by a Professional Engineer.
More information can be found at www.coj.net by typing “city fees” in the search engine, or property owners can contact the City at 630-CITY(2489).