NEW ROCHELLE, NY (June 23, 2025) — The City of New Rochelle is set to address a proposed overhaul of its sanitary sewer and stormwater fee calculation, following a memorandum from City Manager Wilfredo Melendez dated June 17, 2025. The discussion, initiated by Council Member Sara R. Kaye, took place at the Regular Legislative Meeting on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
Council Member Kaye highlighted concerns about the current stormwater fee model, which she argues places a disproportionate burden on residential properties.
“The current model places a disproportionate burden on residential properties, while large, nonresidential properties—often with significant impervious surfaces—contribute to runoff and pay comparatively less,” said Kaye. She recommended adopting a new stormwater fee structure similar to that of Ithaca, New York, where fees are based on the amount of impervious surface area.
The memorandum notes that a discussion on impervious surfaces and the proposal’s benefits ensued, with agreement that the City Manager should explore the recommendation and report back on its feasibility. A documented outlined Ithaca’s approach, where the city implemented a stormwater user fee law in August 2014 as Chapter 283: Stormwater Utility, believed to be the first of its kind in New York State.
Ithaca’s fee is based on an “Equivalent Residential Unit” (ERU), defined as 2,300 square feet of impervious surface area, the average for one-, two-, and three-family homes. Residential properties pay a flat fee of $14.25 per quarter, while non-residential properties pay $21.75 per quarter per ERU, assessed in 0.25 ERU increments. Properties with less than 0.25 ERUs (575 square feet) are exempt. “One-, two-, and three-family homes have a roughly similar amount of impervious surface area,” the Ithaca guidelines explain, justifying the flat fee to simplify administration and budgeting.
Property owners in Ithaca can apply for credits by reducing impervious surfaces or implementing runoff mitigation strategies, such as green roofs or permeable pavers. Credits require a $200 application fee plus 10% of the calculated credit, with reductions based on the percentage of mitigated impervious area, effectiveness, and whether the practice addresses both quality and quantity attenuation (20% credit) or one aspect alone (10% credit).
The Ithaca model has collected approximately $130,000 annually from Cornell University, which was previously exempt from property taxes covering stormwater costs. This shift, detailed in a 2018 case study by Simon Gruber, highlights a more equitable cost allocation, cutting the average homeowner’s annual cost from $100 to $48. “By allocating existing costs more equitably, this approach can be presented to property owners as a fairer, more transparent way of assessing costs,” the study notes.
New Rochelle’s exploration of this model comes as municipalities face rising stormwater management costs due to federal Clean Water Act regulations and increased heavy rainfall, particularly in the Northeast U.S., where a 71% increase in the heaviest 1% of storm events was recorded from 1958 to 2012. The feasibility study requested by Kaye will assess whether New Rochelle can adopt a similar user fee structure, potentially incentivizing green infrastructure retrofits.
RELATED
Sara Kaye Proposal
Chapter 283: Stormwater Utility
[HISTORY: Adopted by Common Council of the City of Ithaca 8-6-2014 by L.L. No. 3-2014. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Simon Gruber
This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.