Council declines to shift stormwater utility to general fund; staff to simplify fee calculation

Beaufort County staff on March 10 reviewed the county’s stormwater utility fee — a parcel‑level charge based on equivalent residential units, impervious area and gross lot area — and explained the revenue picture and implications of moving the program into the general fund.

Staff said the stormwater utility collects roughly $7.4 million on average across recent fiscal years after disbursements to municipalities and estimated that preserving the stormwater utility’s revenue in the general fund would require an operating millage increase of roughly 2.5 mills at current values. Finance staff also noted the stormwater enterprise carries a substantial fund balance (staff cited approximately $12 million budgeted for projects) and that capital projects and maintenance are already planned or underway.

Council direction: several council members expressed the view that the current fee‑based, enterprise model is equitable (charges based on impervious area) and asked staff not to move the enterprise into the general fund. Staff said they will pursue a simplification of the fee calculation (KISS approach) to reduce complexity for property owners while maintaining the impervious‑area principle.

Project activity: staff described an active pipeline of drainage studies, design work and major capital projects (for example, Shell Point designs) and said the fund balance supports moving projects from study to construction in coming years. Staff noted some municipalities set different rates and that credits are available to HOA‑maintained stormwater best‑management practices, though those credits are administrative and do not operate as direct refunds to individual homeowners.

Ending: council asked staff to continue capital and maintenance work from the stormwater fund and to return proposed simplifications of the fee calculation for later review.