Council approves dedicated stormwater funding fee to ensure sustainable infrastructure and flood resiliency

Public education and implementation expected by summer of 2026

After extensive community input, Town Council directed staff to proceed with a stormwater funding structure and implementation plan, an initiative that will advance the Town’s Rainwater Management Plan (RWMP) ensuring sustainable stormwater infrastructure and greater resiliency against flooding.

With the introduction of a dedicated stormwater fee the financial responsibility will shift away from property taxes to a fairer and more sustainable model. Over the coming months, staff will roll out a public education campaign about the fee program and develop procedures, forms, and billing requirements, which is expected to begin in spring or summer of 2026.

The Town’s aging infrastructure requires significant future investment. The RWMP has identified a need for $732 million over the next 30 years and current capital reserve levels are insufficient to fund future demands. Without increased investment, the Town will face challenges completing necessary improvements to ensure its infrastructure continues to function properly and protects properties and homeowners. Establishing a dedicated, transparent, and sustainable stormwater funding model is critical to addressing the Town’s annual $24.4 million stormwater infrastructure needs.

Currently, the Town’s stormwater management system is funded through property taxes. However, the way taxes are collected — 80 per cent from residential properties and 20 per cent from non-residential properties — does not accurately represent how much stormwater runoff each property type creates for the Town’s system and can result in some properties paying more than their fair share. 

In January 2024, a Stormwater Fee Feasibility Study was launched to explore fair and equitable funding options to pay for the Town’s stormwater management system. This included an extensive community outreach and education campaign in summer 2024, followed by public consultations in October 2024 and June 2025. Feedback from the community engagement indicated strong support for a dedicated stormwater funding model based on a fee structure that reflects a cost distribution that more closely reflects each property’s stormwater runoff impact on the stormwater system.

Highlights of the stormwater fee structure:

• Residential properties – flat fees for residential properties, $60 per year for apartments and townhomes, $128 per year for semi-detached houses, and $273 per year for detached houses
• Non-residential properties – pay variable fees that average about $3,700 and range from $50 for a small business to $90,000 for a larger business. Non-residential properties are categorized as commercial/industrial, institutional/mixed-use, or special
• Zero fees will apply to properties consisting primarily of open spaces (e.g., parks, conservation authority lands, hydro/rail right of way) that have minimal runoff 
• Properties, currently tax exempt under the property tax and user fee legislation, are exempt from the stormwater fee, except for Region of Halton and Town properties
• Stormwater costs that are currently paid for in property taxes will be removed from property taxes

To ease the financial impact, staff propose the fee will be introduced gradually over three years. In the first year, the fee will be reduced by 50 per cent in the second year it will be reduced by 25 per cent and the full fee will be in effect in the third year.

In addition, a credit program is proposed for non-residential properties where property owners can apply for up to a 50 per cent fee reduction for practicing good stormwater management. Residential properties can take advantage of existing programs through the Region of Halton and Conservation Halton.

The new stormwater fee rate will be considered through the 2026 Budget process to determine implementation timing and phasing. 

Future stormwater fees will be reviewed by Council through the annual budget process as part of the rates and fees schedule and will be reassessed every five years to ensure appropriate funding is being collected.

For more information visit the Stormwater Fee Feasibility Study page or read the September 29 Stormwater Fee Recommendations and Implementation Plan staff report.

Quote 

“The dedicated stormwater fee is a cheaper alternative for most residents compared to paying for stormwater management through property taxes. Phasing in the fee over three years gives everyone in the community, and especially the business community, time to plan and budget for the new fee. The fee better aligns the amount of stormwater runoff contributed to the system with who pays, making it a better and fairer deal for most people.”

– Mayor Rob Burton