It’s official: Peachtree City will create a stormwater utility to charge residents, businesses and even churches to pay for improvements and repairs to the city’s rainwater drainage collection system.

The bills, which for residents of single family homes will range from $2.69 and $6 a month, will be sent annually. That means a $32.28 bill on the low end and a $72 bill on the high end. The bills will be distributed starting in April, but City Councilwoman Judi-ann Rutherford proposed allowing a discount for citizens who pay their bills early.

That proposal could be considered by the City Council at its next meeting.

Councilwoman Cyndi Plunkett said she wanted to revisit the funding for the stormwater utility every year to determine if the fees will be necessary. Council will vote each year on the utility’s budget, said City Manager Bernie McMullen, but he added that the city’s financing plan for the program will also have an effect on that process.

The city plans to finance stormwater projects with a $3.7 million bond that will take 20 years to pay off, McMullen said, so its likely the stormwater utility would last at least that long. The city will also take out a loan for stormwater equipment, which is estimated to cost $650,000 at the outset.

Council could decide to lower the stormwater utility rates if they want to at some point in the future, Plunkett added. The total program cost for the next three years floats between $1 million and $1.3 million.

McMullen noted that 75 percent of the annual stormwater budget is for operations and maintenance, not capital improvements. The utility will have two three-man teams to handle problems with the stormwater system.

The city is being required to adopt a stormwater management program by the end of this year thanks to various state and federal regulations, officials said. Stormwater, which is rainfall that doesn’t seep into the ground because of impervious surfaces, must be directed somewhere, and the city currently has a network of storm drain pipes to handle some of the flow.

Some developments have on-site storage of stormwater by the use of detention ponds. Others don’t.

The city has prepared a list of 66 critical projects that must be addressed, and each has been prioritized.

Non-residential properties will be charged according to the total amount of impervious surface on the site, but they will be allowed to reduce their bill with various “credits” for having on-site drainage ponds and the like. For example, not including credits, Wal-Mart will have to pay $614 a month, McIntosh High School would pay $553 a month and the Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church would pay $63.20 a month.

Capital improvement projects will vary from the replacement of culverts, which are drain pipes that divert stormwater under roads, to the replacement of old storm drain pipes. The city will be responsible for reviewing private stormwater systems and insuring that regulations are followed. City crews will also be at the ready for emergency response should any part of the city’s stormwater drainage system fail.

The city will not, however, be responsible for stormwater problems on private property, including property which is affected by running water and standing water, officials said.

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