Dear Mayor Eisenberger and City Council,

I am calling on you to address the rising costs and risk of stormwater management in the City of Hamilton by listening to staff recommendations to reevaluate how we, as a city, pay for the costs of our stormwater management system.  As it stands now, households pay for rising stormwater management costs primarily through our water bills. Property owners contributing the most to stormwater runoff which strains our system, pollutes our environment and degrades our infrastructure pay little or none of the costs of dealing with the problem. This approach to stormwater fees has resulted in an underfunded system. Residents don’t see how much we are paying and why. I want fair fees for Hamilton to provide:

1. Transparency (see what we’re paying for)

2. Equity (everyone pays their fair share)

3. Sustainability (city can reliably fund and prepare for the future)

4. Incentives (encourage people to do better, reward those who do)

5. Stewardship (protecting environment and water quality)

I urge you to support Environment Hamilton’s call to adopt a fair stormwater fee system, following the lead of other Ontario municipalities.