Windsor's mayor has announced a path forward to reset the city's recently launched stormwater financing plan that was designed to save property owners money but ended up costing them more.
During a news conference Thursday, Drew Dilkens announced he has been working with city administration after ordering a review of the situation and that a report detailing measures to fix the problem will go to the April 28 meeting of city council for approval.
Dilkens says all along we've said this is good for homeowners, but once it went on the bill on January 1, it didn't prove out that way.
"We heard very, very quickly; it had all of us looking at our own bill saying, 'What went wrong here?' Through that analysis, through the internal analysis and the work the team has done, we understand what the technical issues are; those will be corrected," he says. "What the residents need to know is we're going to deliver on the commitment we made, which is to have them see a decrease in their overall water bill as a result of this move."
The approach launched Jan. 1, 2025, had Windsor's sewer surcharge on ENWIN bills separated into two fees for wastewater and stormwater.
The goal of the new plan was to save most property owners money by shifting costs for stormwater management to properties with large non-absorbent or impervious surfaces, like large parking lots, that prevent stormwater from being absorbed into the ground and instead end up in the sewer system.
While it was expected those property owners would pay more, instead residential property owners, in some cases those who were not even connected to the city's stormwater or sewer system, began receiving bills with a substantial increase.
Dilkens says they didn't get it right, but they're going to make it right.
"Council will be presented on April 28 with a full plan on how they can do that, which will include a credit on the bill for the customers who have been paying more," he says. "It will also be reflective of some of the other concerns we have heard since we implemented the program, concerns from cemeteries that have seen an increase, and concerns from those on septic systems."
Dilkens says if approved, the credit will be reflective back to Jan. 1.
"So we're going back to the start of the program and making sure they get a credit so that we deliver on the promise that residential customers are going to see a decrease in the stormwater management fee on their bill because of the switch to this program," he says.
If the council approves a reset to the plan, it would include a credit for residential wastewater customers who, because of low water usage, are seeing an increase in their monthly bills, a phased-in billing approach for all residential customers currently using a septic system for wastewater removal, a reduction to the annual charge for cemeteries, churches, and other designated places of worship, and a one-time transitional credit for all non-residential and business property owners.
Further details of the plan will be provided once the report is delivered to the city council.
A date for when the rebate will be provided will not be determined until the plan is approved.