Stormwater utility rates will increase by $0.25 every year for 5 years

Stormwater utility rates for Newton citizens will be increasing by $0.25 every year for five years starting in July 2025. The city council approved this change during its short Sept. 9 meeting, in which the third consideration of the amended ordinance and its subsequent adoption were approved in 5-1 votes.

For the third meeting in a row, the council spent no time discussing the matter. But it was heavily debated months before and it resulted in a number of changes.

The first proposal outright failed to pass in its first reading after a 3-3 vote. The second proposal was almost begrudgingly passed by council members who felt pressured to do something to address stormwater issues but they were not wholly convinced this was the right solution.

However, the third and final proposal was presented in the middle of the second reading of the second proposal. Council member Steve Mullan lobbied for a new rate change, which started the whole process over again, and it was what a majority of his fellow council members ultimately settled upon.

Originally, the new stormwater utility was a 5 percent increase over five years. When that failed, council settled on a rate that increased 6 percent starting in 2025, then 4 percent in 2026 and 2027 and then 3 percent in 2028 and 2029. The third proposal switched to a flat $0.25 increase every year for five years.

According to city documents, stormwater utility is calculated by each property’s equivalent residential unit (ERU) rate. Most homes in town have one ERU, which means at the current rate they would be paying $4.50 per month. By 2025, the ERU rate will increase to $4.75. In 2029, the ERU rate will be $5.75.

Council member Randy Ervin opposed the final proposal and has been the lone “no” vote the past three readings. In the past, Ervin argued against what he felt were steep increases for businesses, nonprofits and churches, which would have higher ERU rates than most homes and would have to pay much more.

The stormwater utility has been in place for a few years. Council approved the creation of the utility back in October 2020 for the expressed purpose of using dedicated funds to construct, maintain and operate the stormwater utility system in Newton. Stormwater issues rose to prominence recently after the May floods.

Several citizens experienced water-damaged basements and severe backups. The city itself experienced a fair amount of flooding, most notably at the intersection of First Avenue East and East 12th Street. Photos of the floods showed water filling the nearby Walgreens parking and covering the streets.

Following the floods, some residents have come to council meetings urging officials to take action to prevent stormwater issues in the future while others pointed to the city’s aging sewer system — which is separate from stormwater — as another problem that needs resolved.

Tiffany Thomas, a Newton resident, asked the mayor and city council back in June to take action to prevent or mitigate sewer backups in the future. Sewer backups not only disrupt daily life, she said, but they also pose a health risk and financial burdens for households in town.

“Imagine waking up to your basement flooded with raw sewage, causing damage to personal belongings and creating an unsanitary environment,” she said. “This is the reality many of us and our neighbors have faced several times. The (I&I) program, while commendable, is not sufficiently addressing the issue.”

To her, these backups are indicative of underlying problems with the city’s sewer infrastructure. She suggested Newton needs a new comprehensive assessment of its sewer capacity and the condition of its system as a whole. Thomas said city council members have a duty to prioritize the well-being of the community.

Newton City Council would later on approve an agreement with Utility Service Partners to contact residents about a voluntary water line warranty program, which would essentially provide residents with insurance for exterior water line and sewer line issues and basic plumbing problems.