DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The DeKalb County Commission voted Tuesday to raise stormwater fees for the first time in nearly a decade.
Commissioners approved its plan to incrementally raise fees. It first will increase from the current $48 a year to $96 a year beginning in June, and then it will increase $12 in 2024 and again in 2025, to a total of $120 a year.
That’s an increase that averages 13 cents a day, she said, and it is the first increase in the county’s stormwater rates since 2004.
"It has become necessary to increase the fee and I would hope the residents of Dekalb County would understand as we continue to see increasing issues over stormwater," said Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson.
Commissioners pointed out Monday during a townhall that even with the stormwater rate increases, DeKalb's stormwater rate would still be well below what others pay in other jurisdictions like the City of Decatur, for example, where residents pay $285 a year, according to numbers the county presented during a town hall.
There would be no increases in what residents pay for drinking water or for wastewater services, according to commissioners.
The price hike for homeowners is to address the county's mostly-underground stormwater drainage system. The infrastructure is falling apart which causes a domino effect of drainage pipes collapsing under streets and causing sinkholes.
Commissioners said the county is out of money to fix it all, which is why they need to raise fees. The budget for the stormwater system was $4 million in the red in 2021 and sank deeper into the red in 2022.
During a town hall meeting Monday, county leaders said it is receiving an average of 2,500 calls for help every year from residents reporting stormwater drainage problems, but there are not enough crews or materials to provide the help they need.
"This right here doesn't get us to addressing all of those concerns, but it's a step in the right direction," said Commissioner Robert Patrick.
Hopefully, the county will have better funding to improve the stormwater drainage infrastructure and bring relief to residents, commissioners said.
Leaders said they are willing to work with any resident who may be adversely affected by the increase.