Rockingham County Approves Stormwater Fee for Properties In Lake Shenandoah Watershed
Scott P. Rogers
If you live in (or own property in) the area shown above, you'll have a new tax to pay come December 2020 - a fee that will go towards funding upgrades in the stormwater infrastructure in the Lake Shenandoah Watershed.
- The annual fee is $0.08 per square foot of rooftop.
- The fee will be included in your real estate tax bill, but as a separate item.
- Property owners will pay $0.04 per square foot of rooftop area starting in December 2020 and ending in 2030.
These fees should bring in approximately $2.8 million over the next ten years - though the total estimated costs for the needed infrastructure improvements are between $3.15 million and $4.75 million.
Also in their June meeting, the Lake Shenandoah Storm water Control Authority Board (made up of the same members as the Rockingham County Board of Supervisors)
- Authorized staff to borrow up to $2,850,000.
- Authorized staff to proceed with purchasing a property for constructing a stormwater detention facility.
- Directed that $925K from the General Fund be applied towards the purchase of the property.
If you live in this area, hopefully the news of this new tax isn't a surprise to you -- as it has been discussed for about a year now. The County held the first public hearing on this matter back in July 2019.
Learn more about the Lake Shenandoah Stormwater Control Authority here.
