The new rate will appear on the April 2021 Authority Bill.
The Lower Paxton Township Authority Board voted Tuesday to lower the Stormwater Management Fee from $128 per year to $104 per year ($26 per quarter) in 2021.The initial fee was set before projects began and was based on estimated costs. The fee has been adjusted to reflect actual costs. The new fee will be applied beginning in January 2021 and will show up on the April bill.
The Authority also approved a 2021 Sanitary Sewer Fund budget, which includes no change in sewer rates.
In 2019, federal and state regulations increased stormwater management costs through new regulations. Lower Paxton is required to reduce sediment runoff by 35 percent in Paxton Creek and 10 percent township-wide. The Stormwater Fee pays for projects needed for the township to meet its requirements.
Sewer rates pay for the replacement and maintenance of 250 miles of sanitary sewer lines, as well as the cost of meeting the obligations of a Consent Decree between the Township and the Department of Environmental Protection, among other costs.