The
City of Ann Arbor charges a stormwater fee, not millage. That fee is found in the
City Code at Article II (Utilities and Services), Chapter 29 (Water,
Sewer and Stormwater Rates), Section 2:69 (Stormwater rates). In
pertinent part section 2:69 says: A Michigan Municipal League newsletter described Ann Arbor's program:
In 2006, the City of Ann Arbor updated the rate structure for its stormwater utility to charge property owners based on the amount of impervious surface on their property. The new, more equitable rate structure includes incentives to manage stormwater onsite. The utility, which generates over $5 million per year, funds operations and maintenance projects for the stormwater system, water qualityimprovement projects, stormwater education, implementation of environmental regulatory or remediation plans, and green infrastructure projects that reduce strain on the stormwater system. Link to the Michigan Municipal League newsletter The link to the Michigan Supreme Court decision Bolt v. Lansing, 459 Mich 152 (1998). A recent Michigan Court of Appeals case found a similar stormwater fee charged by the City of Jackson to be illegal under the Headlee Amendment. County of Jackson v. City of Jackson, 302 Mich. App. 90 (2013) or: http://www.michbar.org/opinions/appeals/2013/080113/55193.pdf mLive coverage of the Jackson stormwater dispute: September 24, 2014 - http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2014/09/jackson_residents_to_be_repaid.html#incart_river_news August 13, 2013 - http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2013/0... June 4, 2011 - http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2011/06/storm_water_fee_creating_flood.html |
Current Issues > Flooding >