Cobb Schools Set to Receive Highest Powder Springs Stormwater Bill

The Cobb County School District is set to receive the highest stormwater bill from Powder Springs in the fall.

The $9,835 annual charge is for the roughly 776,000 square feet of impervious surface at and elementary schools, , and a piece of property on New Macland Road, according to an analysis of city documents by Patch.

The charge, though, and the ones below have the potential to decrease. The city has developed a credit manual that will allow up to 40 percent off for those who work to improve stormwater on their properties.

Other annual charges of note include:

• The Rhodes facility on Florence Road—$7,138
• The city itself, including the , , , the municipal court building, , , parking lots, the old lawnmower shop on Marietta Street, , the barbershop off Marietta Street, and a building on Atlanta Street—$6,612
• McNeel Building Systems, which owns several buildings around the city, the largest of which houses —$6,296
• —$5,746
• —$4,828
• Grace Baptist of Mableton—$4,576
• Cobb County Parks and Recreation—$4,527
• —$3,618

All facilities, public and private, that contribute to stormwater runoff will be charged, including the , American Legion, and neighborhood buildings owned by homeowners associations. The full seven-page list is attached.

After over a roughly five-month span, and debating on how much the fee would be, the City Council earlier this month. The $3 is what all homeowners must pay, regardless of square footage of impervious surface.

The bill will come annually along with property taxes in the fall, making the yearly charge $36 for all homeowners.

City officials figure 100 percent collection is highly unlikely, but if it were to happen, the fee would bring in about $354,000 annually. Even then, an estimated $385,000 is needed.

The money is to go to capital projects and increasing environmental regulations passed down by the state related to stormwater—drainage upkeep, water quality, public education and more. Community Development Director Pam Conner previously said that current staff work is “suffering” as the city tries to keep up.

The city plans to hire an additional staff member with the stormwater revenues and tackle two major projects immediately: deteriorating piping below Sailors Parkway and work on the creek running through Powder Springs Park.

Public Works Director Greg Ramsey previously suggested laying out annual set costs for things like inspecting drainage pipes and ditches, cleaning and maintaining them, and reporting the work back to the state. Leftover funds could be used for capital improvements, organized by level of priority.

How the Fee Is Calculated

The average runoff contribution of Powder Springs households—called one ERU or Equivalent Residential Unit—is 2,840 square feet. Each ERU basically translates to $3 a month and goes up based on square footage of impervious surfaces for facilities other than houses.

Using Home Depot’s charge of $5,746 for example:

159.6 ERUs X $3 X 12 months = $5,746