PAY STORMWATER UTILITY FEE
During the March 14, 2023 City Council meeting, Council approved the adoption of a resolution that established a citywide stormwater utility fee. The fee is used to operate and maintain the stormwater infrastructure throughout the entire city. The City began managing all public stormwater infrastructure in Castle Pines beginning March 31, 2023, including infrastructure on the east side as well as the system that was previously managed by the Castle Pines North Metropolitan District (CPNMD).
Why does the City need a stormwater utility fee?
A stormwater utility fee is necessary to provide dedicated funding for the City's management of stormwater system infrastructure. The City obtained ownership of the CPNMD stormwater infrastructure via an intergovernmental agreement on March 31, 2023. On this date, CPNMD transferred all responsibility for the ownership, operation, and maintenance of its stormwater system and necessary property rights to the City to own, operate, maintain, and manage the system. In addition to the transferred stormwater system from CPNMD, the City is also responsible for operating and maintaining the public stormwater system for all other areas throughout the city, including new infrastructure in recent developments.
The stormwater utility fee will allow the City to provide an upgraded, consistent service across the entire city. Collecting a stormwater utility fee aligns with the practices of other Front Range municipalities and enables the City to ensure proper funding levels to meet stormwater system infrastructure needs moving forward.
How much is the stormwater utility fee?
The fee will be billed at $105 per year for all single-family homes in Castle Pines.
The fee for multifamily and commercial property owners will vary depending on the property's impervious area (e.g., concrete, roofs, hardscapes, etc.). If you own multifamily or commercial property, please contact the City for more information.
How was the fee amount calculated?
The City hired an outside engineering consultant in the fall of 2022 to conduct an asset evaluation of stormwater infrastructure throughout the city (both existing City-owned assets and CPNMD assets that will be transferred to the City on March 31, 2023). The evaluation identified maintenance projects needed. City staff also conducted additional evaluations to determine the need for future capital improvement projects. The stormwater utility fee ($105 annually or $8.75 per month) was developed based on these asset evaluations, capital project needs, and other annual stormwater program-related costs.
How will I be billed?
If you live within the CPNMD boundary, CPNMD will collect its final stormwater utility fee during the March 2023 billing cycle, which will be collected via the CPNMD bill received in April. No fee will be collected from either the City or CPNMD for April, May, or June.
The City will then begin collecting payments from all property owners within the city for the second half of 2023 (July-December). Bills will be sent out in June, and the payment ($52.50 for the second half of 2023) will be due in July.
More detailed information about billing and payment options will be mailed to property owners later this spring.
Where can I find more information about residential stormwater management?
For more information on stormwater management, visit the City's Residential Stormwater webpage at CastlePinesCO.gov/Stormwater. If you have questions, please contact the City at 303-705-0200.
