The Pensacola City Council nearly rejected the city’s annual stormwater tax assessment after council members were unhappy with how the city is charging the tax.
The City Council ultimately passed the annual stormwater assessment on Aug. 14 in a 4-2 vote. However, the measure came close to being rejected in what would’ve been a 3-3 vote that would’ve left the city with nearly a $5.2 million shortfall.
Last year, the city increased its stormwater fee to residents by 50% so the typical residential single-family home would pay about $120.49 a year into the city’s stormwater fund. However, there are five different tiers of assessment based on the square footage of impervious surface from buildings on each property, and some property owners saw as much as a 70% increase. Other property owners argued that the city’s estimate of impervious surface on their property was too high…