CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — Clarion Borough is postponing sending out the first bills for the new stormwater fee.The Clarion Borough Stormwater Authority had planned to send out its first bills for the fee in April, but because of the hardships and uncertainties of the (COVID-19) coronavirus pandemic, the bills will wait.
“The bills were expected to be sent out in April, but the Authority decided to postpone billing to avoid imposing any additional financial burden on homeowners and businesses during a challenging time,” a media release from Clarion Borough said.
“Concerns also extend to having staff in place to administer billing while facing the uncertainty of the spread of the Coronavirus.”
The April bills would have covered the second quarter of 2020 – April, May, and June – and the postponement means that no fee will now be charged for the second quarter.
According to the release, bills could be issued in July to cover the third quarter of 2020.
In addition, to protect the public as well as Stormwater Authority board and staff, Stormwater Authority chairman Jason Noto has canceled the Authority’s next monthly meeting, originally set for Thursday, April 9. Dates for future meetings will be announced to the media, at clarionboro.org, and on the Clarion Borough Stormwater Authority Facebook page.
The stormwater fee is charged to all property owners in the borough and is based on the square footage of impervious area (IA) on each property. IA includes roofs, open decks, and pavements such as driveways, private sidewalks, and patios. Fee rates are set up in tiers and can range from $0.00 per quarter for properties with less than 500 square feet of IA, to $36.00 for an average residential property to more than $60.00 per quarter for properties with large amounts of IA.
According to the release, funds will be used to repair and upgrade the borough’s deteriorating stormwater management system.
