Public Hearing: Give Input on Discounted Stormwater Rate for Community Gardens

Changes to current stormwater rates would provide discounts to community gardens that qualify under regulations proposed by the City.

The first  public hearing on proposed stormwater rates changes for Philadelphia’s community gardens will take place on Tuesday, October 25:

PWD Presentation to Rate Board
And Public Input Hearing
Tuesday, October 25, 2016,
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
100 N. 20th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-1495 

The presentation and hearing will be held to explain the proposed changes and gather input from residents. Three additional hearings will be scheduled in the near future and will be advertised in area newspapers, posted on the department’s website, on the Watersheds Blog and our Facebook page.  

Read more about the event and how the changes would impact stormwater fees for gardens in the official Philadelphia Water Department announcement below:

On June 28, 2016, Mayor James F. Kenney signed an ordinance passed by Philadelphia City Council that allows community gardens a special discounted rate for stormwater services. The ordinance directs the Rate Board to establish a special discounted stormwater charge, in an amount up to and including 100%, for approved community gardens.

As a result, the Board may exempt community gardens from paying a monthly stormwater charge, as long as the gardens meet the criteria in the ordinance.
If a full stormwater charge exemption is granted to community gardens, the revenue loss to the Water Department is small enough that all other existing rates and charges will not increase for the remainder of the current Rate Period.

Hearings are free and open to the public. All are encouraged to attend and participate.

The hearings provide an opportunity for those who wish to make a statement or present evidence, specific to their individual service and circumstances, on the record.

If you are unable to attend, correspondence for the Rate Board may be addressed to:

Philadelphia Water, Sewer and Stormwater Rate Board
City of Philadelphia Law Department
Attn: Gemela McClendon
1515 Arch Street, 15th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102

For more info, please visit the Water, Sewer and Storm Water Rate Board website.