Before 2025 ended Lower Makefield Township enacted a stormwater impact fee in an effort to offset stormwater costs which took effect on Jan 1.
The board approved the motion to enact the fee in a 4 to 1 vote, with outgoing Supervisor James McCartney voting no the implement the new fee.
The stormwater utility fee is assessed based on the amount of impervious surface area on each property. Impervious surface calculations were completed using high definition orthophotography with parcel boundaries sourced from Bucks County GIS data, township officials said.
According to county records there are 12,000 properties in the township with most being residential. The fee will be divided into two tiers.
Rate Schedule is as follows:
Tier 0: 0-299 square feet of impervious surface area- No fee assessed
Tier 1: 300-4,999 square feet of impervious surface area- $8.50 per month (Reflects the rate charged to the average single-family property in Lower Makefield Township)
Tier 2: 5,000+ square feet of impervious surface area- $2.90 per 1,000 square feet of impervious surface area or portion thereof, rounded up to the next thousand
The fee impacts township residences, businesses, nonprofits, the Pennsbury School District and the municipality too.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has mandated that municipalities classified as MS4 participants because of road pollution and debris in their waterways and streams, must take steps to improve their stormwater runoff management. Lower Makefield has been given a deadline of February 2027. Since township properties have not been reassessed in decades, the township is almost at its taxing limit, as real estate taxes are based on property assessments. So Lower Makefield has needed to initiate the fee.
LMT officials say the stormwater utility fee would provide a dedicated, sustainable funding source to support efforts that will maintain vital infrastructure, reduce flooding, and meet state and federal mandates.
