Stormwater Utility

Summary

The City of Fairfax Stormwater Utility was established on December 14, 2021, with an initial rate of $28.80 per billing unit (BU). Since its creation, the annual rate has increased an average of approximately 6% per year. The utility has been a recurring subject of City Council work sessions: a scheduled work session on February 25, 2025 was deferred to a future date, and a follow-up work session was held on May 13, 2025 with no action taken. On March 24, 2026, the utility was reviewed in a work session alongside the FY27 capital improvement program and wastewater fund, with presentations from financial advisor Davenport (represented by Kyle Lux and Mr. Sachs). A public hearing on the proposed FY2026 rate increase was held on April 28, 2026, at which no public comment was received and no council action was taken. On May 5, 2026, the City Council unanimously approved an ordinance setting the stormwater utility rate at $36.02 per billing unit for calendar year 2026—a 5% increase—expected to generate approximately $3.4 million in user fee revenue, an increase of roughly $162,000 over the prior year. The utility also funds capital projects such as outfall improvements and contributes to urban forestry efforts, though a May 2026 discussion flagged staffing capacity as a barrier to deploying those funds effectively.

Open questions & options on the table

• Whether the stormwater utility drain-marking credit program remains active (flagged as unconfirmed during the May 12, 2026 discussion)
• Whether staffing capacity constraints limiting deployment of stormwater utility funds toward urban forestry will be addressed, and how

What members have said

Positions as recorded in meeting minutes; votes without recorded comment aren’t summarized.

Discussion time

Minutes of named discussion per transcribed meeting.