NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Flooding in New Hanover County has been a serious issue over the past few years so in December of 2019 county leaders made the decision to implement a new stormwater service for residents. It was planned that the new service would begin in July of 2020; in August of 2020 residents would see a charge for the new service on their annual tax bills.
However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, New Hanover County Commissioners have agreed to postpone charges until August of 2021. The new program will still start in July of this year.
The new program will work in ways similar to municipalities programs across the region where the government works to keep drainage systems clear of debris. Currently, in unincorporated New Hanover County, this responsibility falls on property owners.
The new program will also create 13 new county positions to maintain stormwater maintenance.
The stormwater fee will be assessed on the August 2021 tax bills for county residents and as previously decided, that cost will be nearly $70 on top of the county’s tax bill each year.
“A nominal fee will support these services and only apply to property owners in the unincorporated areas of the county. Residential property owners will be charged a set fee of $5.65 a month (or $67.80 a year); and commercial properties, nonprofits, churches, and any other non-residential properties will be charged a fee based on their impervious surface area,” according to the county in December of last year.
Related: New Hanover County addresses Ogden-area drainage issues and ‘Torchwood flooding’
Because of the delay in the program billing the county is still implementing the program this year but is asking residents to continue managing drainage systems on their property until August of 2021.
“A stormwater utility would allow the county to manage stormwater runoff to help reduce flooding and impacts to water quality,” County Engineer Jim Iannucci said in a press release sent in July of 2019. “It would create a flexible way to plan and pay for resilient water management practices, and allow New Hanover County to provide a higher level of service to our residents and businesses.”
The first priority for the newly formed service will be to utilize the $4.7 million that the county received in an Emergency Watershed Protection grant.
This fund will allow the county the resources to remove debris from waterways to ensure they are free-flowing and less likely to flood.
You can read the entire resolution that County Commissioners voted on here.
