PSB moving forward with plans to raise stormwater fees

The Public Service Board is moving forward with a plan it says will help prevent widespread flooding in El Paso. The storms that hit the Borderland during the monsoon season not only left extensive damage, but also claimed the life of a woman.

The PSB has finished $24 million worth of projects, and are either constructing or designing others priced at $57 million. But the board says it still has $144 million worth of projects left to finish, and if it doesn’t raise the stormwater fee – in about three years – they’ll run out of money to finish the remaining projects:

Currently, it receives about $16 million a year in stormwater fees. To help fund projects the board is proposing an eight percent fee increase over four years. The board says this is about a $2 increase per month for the average customer.

The PSB reduced rates by nearly 40 percent in 2008. It also lost about $9 million in revenue then when the legislature decided school districts and other government entities were exempt from the stormwater fee.