Stormwater Fee Deferral and MS4 Compliance
Summary
A new Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision says stormwater fees are actually a tax, throwing Murrysville's recently adopted stormwater fee into question. Staff expects to pause billing until legal clarification, and council tabled the credit manual.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 8
- Last 30 days
- 1
Discussed at 1 meeting in the last 60 days; most recently Nov 4, 2026.
Impact analysis
Stormwater billing is on hold, so homeowners won't see stormwater charges until the legal question is resolved.
Property owners get a reprieve from stormwater billing while the legal question is sorted out.
Residents could end up covering a larger share of stormwater costs if commercial credits reduce overall fee collections.
Mentions & discussions (8)
Council of the Municipality of Murrysville - Nov 4, 2026
The 2027 budget includes no stormwater fee, so drainage projects are being deferred even though staff say MS4 compliance is maintained. Councilman Korns warned the delay could compound costs, comparing the risk to FTMSA's past systemic failures.
Council of the Municipality of Murrysville - Aug 18, 2026
Cleaning just four stormwater ponds will cost $152,500 — bids ran as high as $399,000. Staff used it to reinforce why the new stormwater fee matters, and noted the fee's 2027 projection was kept conservative given a pending court case.
Council of the Municipality of Murrysville - May 20, 2026
A required stormwater project moves forward with $181,000 in grant money and a 15% municipal match.
Council of the Municipality of Murrysville - May 6, 2026
A new Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision says stormwater fees are actually a tax, throwing Murrysville's recently adopted stormwater fee into question. Staff expects to pause billing until legal clarification, and council tabled the credit manual.
Council of the Municipality of Murrysville - Apr 21, 2026
Council is fine-tuning how much of a break property owners get on the new stormwater fee for installing things like rain gardens and detention basins. The consultant said raising the max credit from 35% to 50% keeps revenue projections intact.
Council of the Municipality of Murrysville - Mar 17, 2026
Council is still refining how commercial property owners earn credits on the new stormwater fee. More generous credits could cut into the roughly $900,000 annual funding target, pushing more cost onto homeowners, so staff will bring the engineer back with revenue scenarios.
Council of the Municipality of Murrysville - Mar 4, 2026
Most homeowners will pay about $84 a year ($42 for condos) once bills go out, with a $40 rain barrel credit. Larger and commercial properties can cut their bill by up to 35% for stormwater features — but some councilmembers think that cap is unfair for properties that capture all their runoff.
Council of the Municipality of Murrysville - Jan 5, 2026
A resident is asking council to revisit last month's stormwater fee approval and get more community input first. This is the first council response since the fee passed.
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