City Council Approves New Stormwater Management Fee

Peterborough City Council has approved a new funding model for the City’s stormwater fee that they claim balances fairness in payment, accuracy, administrative feasibility and the long-term financial sustainability of the City’s stormwater infrastructure. 

Photo by Evan Holt.

Under the new stormwater user fee structure, single-detached homeowners, who represent about 80 per cent of all properties in the City, are expected to pay less than under the current interim fee. 

Stormwater is rain and melted snow that runs off roofs, driveways, lawns and other surfaces, making its way into the ground or into the storm drains found on City streets and in parking lots.  Hard surfaces like parking lots, driveways and rooftops prevent water from naturally soaking into the ground. Instead, this runoff flows into the City’s stormwater system. 

The City manages stormwater to reduce flooding and erosion, protect homes, roads and public infrastructure, and protect water quality in local rivers and waterways. 

In April 2025, the City transitioned the stormwater management fee, moving it from the property tax bill to an interim stormwater fee on water utility bills. This fee was based on a property’s assessed value, not on how a property affects the stormwater system. For example, a large retail store with a big parking lot generates more stormwater runoff than a small downtown business. Yet if the smaller business has a higher assessed property value, it will pay a higher stormwater fee, despite placing a lower load on the stormwater system. 

Under the approved funding model, residential properties will be charged based on housing size and type. Different property types, like condo units, semi-detached and single-detached homes, will each have a different stormwater fee. Larger homes will have a higher fee than smaller homes.  

Non-residential properties will be charged based on the amount of hard surface area on each property.  

City staff will begin drafting a By-law and phase-in plan for Council approval. 

The total cost of stormwater management to Peterborough taxpayers is not changing. The stormwater program is already funded through a combination of the stormwater utility fee, sewer surcharge, capital levy, and general tax levy, costs ratepayers are already paying. What is changing is how that cost is calculated on the utility bill, transitioning from a formula based on assessed property value to one based on housing type and size for residential properties and on measured hard-surface areas for non-residential properties.

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