We changed the Stormwater Utility Management Fee collection method from water billing to a more efficient method in 2013 after experiencing a 3% to 4% non-collection rate. The fee assessment now appears on the Truth-In-Millage (TRIM) notice sent by the Broward County Property Appraiser each August identifying the proposed taxes and non-ad valorem special assessments.
Tamarac City Commission is required to adopt an annual rate resolution setting the Stormwater Fee rate at a public hearing each fiscal year as a part of the budget adoption process.
If you have a mortgage, you will continue to make monthly Stormwater Fee payments; now they will be applied to the escrow account instead of a water bill. If you do not have a mortgage, there are options for you to pay in increments through the Tax Collector’s Office. For additional information, please contact the Tax Collector’s office at (954) 831-4000.
For those residential property owners who have an escrow amount included in their mortgage payments, adjustments are usually made at the time your escrow amounts are recalculated. The Stormwater Utility Management Fee Collection Services Assessment will be part of the annual recalculations.
All property owners pay the annual fee, whether they occupy the property year-round or part of the year.
If you move following the payment of your tax bill, generally the amount will be prorated on the HUD-1 closing statement regarding the sale of your property. In other words, the buyer is reimbursing you for the remainder of the taxes, Stormwater Fee, Fire Rescue Assessment, etc. that you paid. The City of Tamarac will not issue refunds for paid Stormwater Fees.
Ad valorem tax exemptions have no impact on non-ad valorem assessments.
The fee is $113.62 per Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) for the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015. It will appear on the tax bill in the non-ad valorem tax section along with the Fire Rescue Assessment and the Residential Solid Waste Assessment (for those properties that it applies to). As with those assessments, the non-ad valorem taxes are part of the entire tax bill and the earlier you pay the more discounts you are eligible for. Although the Stormwater Fee cannot be paid separately from the tax bill, the following discounts are offered (associated with the Stormwater Utility Management Fee Collection Services Assessment only):
November payment – 4% discount $113.62 x .96 = $109.07 ($4.55 savings)
December payment – 3% discount $113.62 x .97 = $110.21 ($3.41 savings)
January payment – 2% discount $113.62 x .98 = $111.35 ($2.27 savings)
February payment – 1% discount $113.62 x .99 = $112.48 ($1.14 savings)
Please note that these discounts were not available using the water bill method for payment.