Frequently Asked Questions

The stormwater drainage utility is a dedicated City service that manages how rainfall runoff flows through Victoria’s drainage system. It functions like other City utilities (water, wastewater, trash pickup) but focuses solely on drainage infrastructure, maintenance, regulatory compliance and flood-risk reduction.

Currently, Victoria does not have a stormwater drainage utility or drainage fee. Because of this, the City is limited in its ability to perform drainage work, and the minimal amount of projects we do perform must compete with general City services for funding.

By establishing a stormwater drainage utility:

• The City can have consistent, reliable, dedicated funding for drainage needs, including implementation of the storm drainage master plan.
• Other City funds can redirect money back toward their core functions.
• The community will benefit from more robust maintenance, improved drainage performance and reduced flooding risk.

The City’s current stormwater management program complies with minimum federal and state environmental regulations to protect water quality and meet permit requirements. However, the City does not have a dedicated fund for improvement and maintenance of stormwater infrastructure.

It will fund the day-to-day care and long-term improvement of Victoria’s drainage system above and beyond current service levels.

• General maintenance: mowing drainage ditches, culvert clearing/repairs, storm drain cleaning
• Capital projects: improvements at key outfalls and drainage channels citywide
• Emergency response: quick removal of blockages and localized flooding issues

View future drainage projects that would be funded through the new fee.

No. It is a utility fee, like what residents already pay for water or sewer service. Unlike property taxes, utility fees are tied directly to the services provided and must be used for needs related to the utility—in this case, maintaining and improving the City’s drainage system.

The City is proposing a flat fee of $5 for all residential utility bills. Other properties (commercial, apartments, etc.) will be billed based on each property’s impervious area, which are surfaces that do not absorb water, such as roofs, driveways, and pavement.

Impervious surfaces affect the City’s drainage by preventing water from being absorbed into the ground. Because the stormwater drainage utility fee is based on impervious area, each property’s fee is measured according to the property’s impact on the City’s drainage system.

An impervious surface is any surface that does not allow stormwater to pass through. Roofs, paved driveways/walkways and swimming pools are all examples of impervious surfaces.

Stormwater drainage utility fees are calculated using a billing unit called an equivalent residential unit (ERU), which is equal to the median impervious area of a single-family home. Victoria’s ERU is 3,200 square feet.

The proposed fee for Victoria is $5.00 per ERU each month.

Residential

All non-commercial residential properties will be billed a flat fee of $5.00 (1 ERU) per month.

Other

Other properties (businesses, apartment complexes, etc.) will be billed based on the number of ERUs that make up the property’s impervious area—surfaces such as roofs, driveways and pavement that do not absorb water. 

To calculate the stormwater drainage utility fee for properties other than non-commercial residential properties:

Impervious Square Feet ÷ 3,200 = your ERUs (minimum 1 ERU per property)

ERUs × $5.00 = stormwater drainage utility fee

Examples:

• Small shop: 3,200 (or less) impervious sq ft → 1 ERU → $5/month
 • Mid-size business: 34,171 impervious sq ft → 10.6 ERUs → $53/month
 • Large retail center: 1,773,540 impervious sq ft → 554 ERUs → $2,770/month

A $5.00/ERU monthly rate is lower than or comparable to many cities within our region.

The following properties are exempt under state law and City policy:

• State agencies 
• Victoria ISD properties
• College/university campuses
• Unimproved lots with no impervious cover
• City of Victoria properties 

Unless listed above, tax-exempt properties are not exempt from the fee. This is because the stormwater drainage utility fee is not a tax; it is a utility fee that is paid for a service, similar to water or sewer service.

The stormwater drainage utility fee will be listed as part of your City of Victoria utility bill. If you are not already a City of Victoria utility customer, you will receive a bill for this fee.

The City will bill the apartment property owners. The apartment owners may require residents to pay a share of the fee through their utility bills or rent.

City officials explored the possibility of implementing a tiered structure for residential properties. At this time, the City is recommending a flat rate in order to reduce administrative costs and to keep residential rates low while ensuring a straightforward fee system for residents.

Drainage project goals for the first five years of the program are based on a $5 flat residential fee. Council may choose to explore a tiered system at a later date.

For the purposes of the stormwater drainage utility, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes are considered non-commercial residential properties and will be billed the same flat fee as a single-family residence. Properties accommodating five or more families (such as an apartment complex) are considered to be commercial properties and will be billed using the ERU calculation based on the impervious area.

The owner of the property will receive the bill.

Yes. Victoria’s drainage system includes roadside ditches, culverts, channels, outfalls, curbs and gutters that move stormwater away from neighborhoods and roadways. All residents benefit from this system regardless of whether their neighborhoods have underground storm drains.

Yes. Any property that has a building or other impervious cover will be billed, regardless of whether the building currently has other utility service.

Yes. Homes with a pier-and-beam foundation are still considered to be impervious because the roof is an impervious surface that directs the flow of rainwater and impacts our drainage system.

Yes, you have to pay the fee if your property is within City limits.

The purposes of the stormwater drainage utility and Drainage District #3 are different. The sole purpose of Drainage District #3 is to maintain (not improve) the flow capacity of natural creeks and outfalls within its boundaries. By contrast, the stormwater drainage utility will be tasked with both day-to-day maintenance and long-term improvement of the entire drainage system, including capital projects and emergency response.

No. Unlike water usage charges, the stormwater fee is not based on rainfall volume or how much runoff is generated during any particular storm. It is a fixed monthly fee based on the type of property and/or impervious area.

The City is not recommending a credit system at this time, although this may be explored later. It should be noted that rain barrels only capture a limited amount of rainwater and may overflow during heavy rain events, so their impact on stormwater drainage is limited.

The initially adopted rate of $5/ERU will remain in place for at least five years. After that time, the rate may be reviewed periodically by the City Council. Updates could occur if drainage needs, system costs or capital project requirements change. As with any other City fee, any adjustment would follow the public process for fee setting and budget decisions.

The City will bill the utility account holder—that is, the party responsible for paying the utility bill. If the bill is paid by the property owner, the owner may require tenants to pay a share of the fee.

In most cases, yes. Standard gravel surfaces are compacted over time and do not allow water to soak in effectively. Because they shed runoff much like pavement, gravel areas are treated as impervious surfaces unless they are part of a specially engineered pervious system.

Property owners with detention or retention ponds will be given the opportunity to request a variance, which will include providing proof that the pond eliminates discharge of stormwater into the City’s water system.

It is important to note that retention ponds and detention ponds operate differently in terms of stormwater drainage.

• In most cases, retention ponds do not produce runoff if they are appropriately designed and maintained. (Texas Local Government Code 552.044)
• By contrast, most detention ponds only reduce the impact of flood events, which means they are unlikely to be eligible for a variance.

If the impervious area increases or decreases due to construction, redevelopment or demolition, the number of ERUs associated with the property may increase or decrease accordingly. The City will update your billing information as part of the site plan and permitting process.

Property owners may appeal if they believe their property’s impervious area is incorrect. The property owner may be required to provide documentation or evidence to support their appeal.

Currently, the City is only able to fund about $500,000 worth of drainage projects per year (including general maintenance and one-time projects) using existing funding sources such as property taxes. 

The City has more than $129 million worth of unmet drainage needs identified in the 2021 storm drainage master plan. The City also maintains approximately 50 miles of box culverts, more than 100 miles of roadside open ditches and associated driveway culverts and 93 miles of major drainage ways and outfalls. The stormwater drainage utility fee will generate an estimated $2.5 million per year for ongoing drainage needs.

In addition, using our general fund for drainage needs means that drainage projects are essentially competing with our other needs, leaving less funding for other City projects. Having a dedicated funding source for drainage will help to close our current funding gap while leaving other funds available for streets, public safety, employee pay and other needs.

Another benefit of the stormwater drainage utility fee is that it is based on each property’s impervious area—that is, how much of the property is covered by structures that prevent stormwater from being absorbed. This means that the amount that each resident pays for the City’s drainage needs will be a reflection of how much their property impacts our drainage system.

It is important to note that property tax revenue only accounts for a fraction of the City’s total budget, less than the total cost of public safety services alone. The City’s budget includes various individual funds that are legally dedicated to specific needs, and revenue from the stormwater drainage utility fee will function similarly to these specialized funds.

To learn more about different City funding sources and how they are used, visit www.victoriatx.gov/budget.

If you have questions about the proposed stormwater drainage utility or the associated fee, please let us know using this form.