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Council sought to establish fair stormwater rate standards under Philadelphia's water and sewer laws

Official:Amending Title 13 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Water and Sewer," by amending Section 13-201, which provides standards for the setting of sewer rates and charges, by further providing with respect to standards for the setting of stormwater rates and charges, all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Henon

Introduced: April 12, 2012

: Committee on Finance

chargesenvironment infrastructure rates

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2012–2015 Council term and when that term ran out. The public record shows no committee vote and no floor vote at any stage, so no member of Council ever went on record for or against it.

That is not unusual here. Of the 8,465 bills introduced between 2000 and 2025, 1,624 lapsed without a single recorded vote. Ninety percent of bills that became law carry a roll call. Three percent of lapsed bills do. How this works.

Plain-Language Summary

This bill amends Philadelphia's water and sewer laws to set standards for stormwater rates and charges, ensuring they are just, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory.

What This Bill Does

AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

The bill adds standards for setting stormwater rates and charges, which were not previously included in Section 13-201.
The Water Department is required to fix and regulate rates and charges for stormwater services, just as it does for sewer services, without further authorization from Council.
The rates and charges for stormwater services must be set in accordance with the same standards as sewer rates and charges, which includes yielding to the City at least an amount equal to operating expenses, including interest and sinking fund charges.
The bill implies that the City will now have the authority to set rates and charges for stormwater services, although it does not explicitly state this.

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