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Alexandria City Council to consider increasing stormwater utility fee

Flooding near the Braddock Road Metro on Thursday, September 16, 2021. (Courtesy Kerrin Nishimura)

The Alexandria City Council will consider raising the stormwater utility fee yet again.

Council, on Tuesday, will be presented a city staff proposal to increase the utility fee for locals from $294 to $308.70 for the bill due Nov. 15, and all bills thereafter.

A public hearing on the 5% increase will be held at City Hall on Saturday, April 15.

The fee ballooned in recent years to contend with rampant flooding, going from $140 to $280 in 2021, and then to its current rate of $294 last year.

How’s the money spent? According to the city:

Funds raised by the Stormwater Utility Fee go toward street sweeping; leaf pickup; operation and maintenance of public stormwater infrastructure and separate storm sewer systemstormwater quality initiatives; compliance with our  MS4 stormwater permitplan review; and our flood management program.

Several Stormwater Infrastructure Projects are underway to help the City meet State and Federal MS4 stormwater mandates, while City Drainage and Flooding Projects mitigate drainage issues in problem areas. The City focuses on the use of  green infrastructure and other  stormwater best management practices (BMPs), and  stream channel maintenance and restoration strategies to address stormwater infrastructure concerns.

About the Author

  • Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.