NEWPORT, R.I. — Newport moved a step closer to a separate stormwater charge on Wednesday, when the City Council gave first-reading approval to three ordinances that would create a stormwater utility and the fee behind it. The vote was 6-1.
The package spells out the method for figuring a fee, the steps for running the program and new runoff rules for development projects. What it leaves out is a price. Nobody gets a bill yet, and the earliest bills could go out is July 2027. That timeline holds only if councilors pick a rate and fund the utility when they write the fiscal 2028 budget. Each ordinance still needs a second vote before it becomes law.
Today the cost of handling runoff is folded into the sewer rate, which is tied to how much water a property uses. Robert Schultz, who leads the city utilities department, told the council the city hopes to move roughly $4 million to $5 million of that cost onto the new fee.
At an Oct. 20 workshop, city utilities staff laid out a model built on the Equivalent Residential Unit, with one unit set at 2,400 square feet of hard surface and a charge of $15 per unit. Most homeowners would pay $15 a month under that plan. In exchange, the usage charge on sewer bills would drop to $19 for every 1,000 gallons, down from $25.97.
Schultz said a bill would go to any parcel carrying over 400 square feet of roofs, pavement or other hard surface, with credits of up to 50% available. The lone opponent warned that churches and nonprofits would be charged, and another member asked for answers on that before the final vote. Newport property owners can review the credit manual on the city website ahead of budget season.
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