Ok, first public look at the probable, upcoming stormwater charge from Toronto Water.
This is a tax many here have pined for, both as a source of revenue, but also a way to disincentive surface parking (and if applied to flat roofs, to incentive green roofs).
I broadly support the idea, though on the former, much of the same would be achieved via a commercial parking tax.
In looking through the City's proposal, I'm not happy.
Thank you for your interest in this consultation. Consultation has been paused to allow City staff to do further work to align the possible implementation of a stormwater charge and water service charge with the City’s broader climate resilience strategy, as well as the commercial parking levy...
www.toronto.ca
Have a muddle through. There are gratuitous tiers, other water rate changes bundled in which will muddy the impact, and lots of complicated mess.
This looks way to expensive to administer, as structured, and the incentives for change don't look great. KISS rules; (Keep It Simple Stupid).
- You want a clear penalty for large amounts of hard surface area.
- You want to exempt smaller properties generally and tackle them differently because staff time to assess all those properties is costly and cumbersome. This is about mall parking lots and factory and big box roofs)
- You want a straight line incentive for reducing stormwater tax (reduce the flow by creating a more absorbing, soft landscape, and/or stormwater holding tanks, using same for irrigation, etc etc.)
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Small properties (for example houses) are better dealt with by:
1) Raising the amount the City charges for parking pads across its property significantly. Why? The database already exists, and the charge is already billed.
2) Creating a financial incentive for removing parking pads in front yards; (ie. the City will allow you to rebate a portion of the cost against your property tax, and the fee for the pad will be removed in perpetuity )
3) Outlawing new parking pads entirely.
4) Outlawing the use of impermeable paving for parking pads, driveways and parking lots City-wide.
5) Requiring that new surface parking permitted show management of 100% of stormwater on-site. .