Stormwater fee beats higher property tax
At the 2024 Town Meeting, we voted to have a separate funding mechanism for the Stormwater Utility Enterprise Fund.
I feel that some clarification is needed in response to the June 19 letter to the editor regarding the stormwater fee.
At the 2024 Town Meeting, we, the citizens of Acton, voted not to use property taxes, but rather to have a separate funding mechanism for the Stormwater Utility Enterprise Fund. This was not a decision made by town officials to “extract more revenue from its citizens.”
According to a presentation made at the 2025 Town Meeting, while 93% of the town’s tax base is residential properties, only 59% of the stormwater fees are assessed to those property owners. The balance is being paid mostly by institutions that are exempt from property taxes as well as properties with large impervious surfaces such as parking lots. With a budget of just over $1,000,000 per year, by my calculations this is an annual savings to homeowners of over $300,000.
While the fee structure isn’t perfect, in my opinion it’s better than adding to the property tax.
Bob Treitman
Edmonds Road
