Terms and restrictions
Residential property owners with single detached homes or multi-residential buildings with up to five units per building may qualify for rate credits when the Applicant can demonstrate that the property owned by the Applicant (the “Property”) contains impervious areas that are directed to approved, or in accordance with, stormwater quantity and/or quality Best Management Practices (“BMP”). The BMP must provide the City with a cost savings that the City otherwise would incur as part of their efforts to manage stormwater.
Restrictions
- No public or private property shall be eligible to receive credits for any condition or activity unrelated to the reduction of the City’s cost of providing stormwater management services, as determined by the City of Kitchener;
- Credits will not apply to fees attributable to new development or redevelopment projects;
- Any stormwater BMP off site or within a permanent easement maintained by the City shall not be eligible for a credit; and,
- Credits shall only be given to the registered owner of the Property.
Conditions and Requirements
- The Applicant shall complete a stormwater credit registration form (the “Form”). The Form may be printed or electronic, and may be submitted with supporting documentation (if required) online, by mail or email.
- A signed Form shall constitute authority for the City to perform limited announced inspections of the Property to determine the eligibility of the on-site stormwater BMPs, and the accuracy of the credit calculation. The inspection shall be limited to stormwater BMPs and other elements described in the registration. The City shall schedule the inspections at a date and time that is mutually acceptable to both parties. The City will offer the Applicant at least one (1) opportunity to reschedule to a mutually agreeable date and time;
- Credits will only be applied if requirements in this schedule are met, including but not limited to: completion of ongoing maintenance and guaranteed right-of-entry for inspections, on an annual basis, as at the discretion of the City of Kitchener;
- Unless otherwise obligated by law, the City shall limit the use of the Form or other registration documents to activities required to administer stormwater credits;
- Credits will be assigned up to a maximum of 45% of the assessed stormwater rate;
- Credits will be defined as percent (%) reductions to the City’s stormwater portion of the utility bill;
- Any BMP must comply with all applicable municipal, provincial and federal standards and guidelines;
- As long as the BMP is functioning as approved and as demonstrated by City inspections, the credit will be applied to the stormwater portion of the utility bill. If the approved BMP is not functioning as approved or is terminated for any reason whatsoever, the reduction will be cancelled and the rate will be returned to the baseline calculation. In the circumstance that a BMP is no longer functioning as approved, the Applicant shall reimburse the City the entire amount of the credit received in respect of the Property since the last inspection by the City. Once the credit reduction has been cancelled, a customer may not reapply for a credit for a period of 12 months and only upon the deficiency being rectified as determined by the City inspection;
- Only stormwater management practices that serve the property described on the form shall be credited toward that property’s bill. The Applicant cannot transfer credit eligibility from the property to another property owned by the applicant. Similarly, the credit eligibility of a property does not transfer from the applicant to a new owner of the property, without a separate form completed on behalf of the new owner of the property;
- All stormwater quantity control BMPs must be a municipality accepted practice. Accepted stormwater storage practices include:
- Infiltration galleries
- Storage devices (e.g. cisterns, rain barrels)
- Landscaping techniques (e.g. rain gardens, permeable pavers, depressed areas to collect rainwater)
- Combination of the first three techniques
Acknowledgement
I certify that I have read and comply with the credit criteria, that I meet the program eligibility criteria, and all information in the application form is true and correct. I permit the city to perform limited arranged inspections of the property to determine the eligibility of the BMPs.
