Town staff delivered a municipal-moment briefing on the stormwater utility, detailing why the town charges property owners for stormwater, how the town measures pollutant loads and how credits and rates are structured.

Why it matters: Millis is under a regional EPA/MassDEP permit requiring reductions in phosphorus and other pollutants. The stormwater utility funds work such as catch-basin cleaning, outfall inspections and capital projects to remove phosphorus before it reaches the Charles River watershed.

Key points raised at the meeting
- Regulatory basis: Staff said the town operates under an EPA and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) permit for the Upper Charles watershed; the permit requires towns to reduce a measured phosphorus load.
- Measured load and progress: The town's reporting shows about 440.9 pounds of phosphorus in the baseline inventory; town actions and developer-installed infiltration systems have reduced that measured load by about 110 pounds since the program began, staff said.
- Utility bylaw and rates: Millis adopted a stormwater utility bylaw in February 2017 (Article 24 of the general bylaws) and set rates by impervious-area tiers. The bylaw and a Stormwater Utility Credit Manual (published by the town) allow property owners to apply for credits if they maintain qualifying stormwater infrastructure. Examples of current tiers referenced at the meeting: $33, $66 and $99 per year for successive impervious-area bands, with larger accounts paying higher totals based on square feet of impervious surface.
- Credits and enforcement: Staff described two credit paths — site-specific infrastructure credits (for, e.g., functioning infiltration systems on a parcel) and infrastructure credits for owner associations — and said credits do not eliminate every customer's bill; credits are limited and require documentation. Homeowners associations with private basins may be required to begin formal inspections under evolving DEP guidance.
- Reserves and capital planning: The town's stormwater fund had reserves approaching $900,000; staff cautioned that large capital projects (phosphorus removal facilities or extensive basin retrofits) could exhaust those reserves. The town plans to include capital items in an upcoming rate study so rate-setting will incorporate near-term capital needs.

Actions and next steps
- The Board previously approved a rate study. Staff said town engineers (Beta Group and Kleinfelder were cited as consultants) will include capital cost needs in that study, which the board expects to complete by July so rates can be set in time for the next fiscal year.
- Staff said that town roads and sidewalks are not counted in private impervious-area calculations; town facilities (town hall, police station, school) are billed into the stormwater enterprise as municipal impervious area and the town pays that charge out of municipal funds.

What the meeting did not resolve: Final rate adjustments and the scope/timing of specific phosphorus-removal capital projects remain under study. Staff said timing for using reserves and scheduling capital work will be decided after the rate study and further engineering work.

Speakers and materials noted in the discussion
- Town staff referenced the 2017 stormwater utility bylaw (Article 24), the town's Stormwater Utility Credit Manual, permit obligations to the EPA and MassDEP and the town's reserve balance and planned capital list.

Why readers should watch: The stormwater utility affects most property owners through impervious-area based charges, funds infrastructure work required by the EPA/MassDEP permit, and a pending rate study will determine next-year fees and capital funding decisions.