General Information and Background About Parker’s
Stormwater Utility Fee

As more of the ground area in Parker is covered by homes, businesses, roads, and parking lots, stormwater runoff has become a serious issue. Drainage facilities must be provided to protect properties from damage. The water quality in our creeks must also be protected to keep excess nutrients and harmful pollutants from damaging the environment. In the past, drainage facilities such as detention ponds, channels, storm inlets and sewers have been the responsibility of each subdivision or commercial property owner, usually through the Homeowners’ Association or Metro District or by adjacent property owners. Citizens appealed to the Town to assist in this financially burdensome responsibility.

In response to that request, the Town Council formed a task force consisting of citizens representing different areas and interests to study the issue. The citizens’ task force recommended formation of a stormwater utility funded by a fee to assist these activities. Council then proposed legislation in April 1999 which was discussed extensively at several public meetings and publicized in the local newspapers and the Town Newsletter. After that discussion period, Council passed an ordinance in July 1999 creating the new Stormwater Utility. Fees collected from each residence and business will provide funding to pay for the following services:

• Construction of new and required drainage improvements
• Maintenance of existing eligible drainage facilities
• Monitoring and safeguarding stormwater quality
• Planning for, designing and constructing regional drainage improvements in cooperation with Urban Drainage & Flood Control District.

Commercial Properties
Billing and Payment Procedures:
The fee is calculated and billed annually. The invoices for each calendar year are sent out on Jan. 31. Payments should be remitted directly to the Town of Parker. If paid by Feb. 28, a 2% discount is allowed. If not paid early, the fee is due by April 30. Collection procedures for delinquent amounts will commence in May with a notification letter. Ultimately, if the fee is not paid, a lien will be placed on the property for the amount of the fee plus a surcharge for late payment. The delinquent amount would then be collected through the Douglas County Treasurers Office with property taxes.

Residential Properties
Billing and Payment Procedures:
The fee is being billed through the Water & Sanitation District in order to minimize administrative costs of collection and to make it easier for citizens to make their payment. You will write a check for the total amount of the bill and remit to the Water & Sanitation District. Then the District will turn over the Stormwater fees to the Town. If for any reason the amount is not paid, you will receive a letter from the Town outlining collection procedures, which would ultimately result in a lien being filed against the property if the fee is not paid.

Customers in the Parker Water & Sanitation District will pay the fee with their monthly bill. For those in the Cottonwood Water & Sanitation District, the billing is bimonthly.

Frequently Asked Questions
What gives the Town the authority to charge me the stormwater fee?
In response to citizen’s appeals to the Town to assist with the financial burden caused by stormwater runoff, the Town Council passed an ordinance (July 1999) creating this utility and the fee as an enterprise fund to provide the funding to pay for the services the Town would have to provide to manage the stormwater runoff.

Does this fee have to be paid by non-profit or governmental entities?
Yes, the fee applies to all properties, just as water and sewer fees apply. It is a fee for service, not a tax.

How do residents benefit from this utility?
Many of our subdivisions had to pay through their Homeowners Association or Metro District for the maintenance of certain drainage facilities. This cost will now go through the Town and will assist those agencies in this responsibility, which was a potentially large liability for homeowners associations. With the Town providing assistance, the cost is spread out more.

How was the fee determined?
The fee was calculated after an extensive study was done of the costs of services.

Single Family Residential (sfr) Properties:
The fee for these properties is based on the relative amount of impervious area on each property in Parer and will be as follows:

2008:
$5.50 per month

2009:
$6 per month

2010 and beyond:
Fee will increase annually based on U.S. Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index

Commercial and Non-Residential Properties
For these properties, the fees are calculated as follows:

Monthly fee = (SFR fee) x (total impervious area of property in square feet)/4000 square feet.

The annual fee increase was instituted to offset inflation.

What is impervious area?
An area that will not allow stormwater to soak into the ground (infiltrate). For example, paved or hard-packed driveways, buildings, sidewalks, parking lots, etc.

For commercial properties, how was impervious area determined?
Using computer software, aerial photos of the property and existing site plans on file at Town Hall, the impervious area was outlined and calculated.

Why do I have to pay the fee when I have already been required to have on-site detention on my commercial property?
The fee pays for regional facilities and improvements, which benefit all properties in Parker by accommodating runoff in major storm events. It also pays for routine maintenance of eligible drainage facilities, including your on-site detention ponds. Future commercial property owners will also be charged the stormwater utility fee each year, and will be required to implement on-site drainage facilities to ensure property owners downstream are not negatively impacted.

Policy guidelines in the Town of Parker Storm Drainage and Environmental Criteria Manual (SDECM) have been established to determine stormwater facilities that are eligible for Stormwater Utility maintenance assistance. Copies of the SDECM are available upon request at Town Hall.

As a commercial property owner, what do I do if I don’t agree with the calculation of the impervious area on the property?
The property owner may send a letter to the Town (attn: Stormwater Billing) and request a review of the calculation and stating the basis for the dispute. The letter can be emailed, faxed, mailed, or brought to the Parker Town Hall. Once we have received this letter, we will make a site visit to verify which areas are impervious to verify the amount. If it is wrong, we will correct it and rebill the proper amount. If it is correct, we will provide the documentation to you to show how it was calculated.

What if I refuse to pay my bill?
At 30 days past due we will send past due notice with a warning that a twenty-five dollar ($25) surcharge will be added to their bill if not received within five days of this notice.

At 60 days past due we will send second past due notice containing a warning that this is the last past due notice that will be sent, that a twenty-five dollar surcharge has been added to your bill, and a lien will be placed on your property for the amount due including the twenty-five dollar ($25) surcharge when the bill reaches 90 days past due. At 90 days past due a lien will be filed on property with Douglas County for the amount due plus twenty-five dollars ($25). The fee will then be collected through the property tax system.

If you have other questions, email us, or call 303.841.0353 and ask for Stormwater Billing.

For additional information on the Stormwater Utility Division, please click here.