Within the Bill, the purposes of a stormwater utility is broken down into 6 parts. The purpose of the utility is to:

1. Develop a stormwater management program (including, but not limited to):
   1. For construction and post-construction site stormwater runoff control, including control detention and prevention of runoff from development sites
   2. For the control and abatement of stormwater pollution from existing land uses and the detection and elimination of connections to the stormwater system which threaten public health, welfare, or the environment
2. Provide public education and outreach, as well as establish procedures for public participation
3. Provide for the administration of the utility
4. Establish the geographic boundaries of the stormwater utility district
5. Recommend to the legislative body the imposition of a fee on the interests in real property as the revenues to be used in carrying out any powers
6. The utility may plan, layout, acquire, construct, reconstruct, repair, maintain, supervise, and manage stormwater control systems

Fees approved by the legislation can be levied on property owners for the purposes of the utility. When establishing the fee, the utility fee shall take into consideration (but is not limited to) impervious surfaces on properties which generate stormwater runoff and land use types which may generate higher or lower concentrations of stormwater pollution.

Fees may be reduced or deferred for farm, forest, or open space land. Fees are only allowed to be levied on the parts of these which contain impervious surfaces which generate stormwater runoff.

When establishing a budget, the utility must include (but is not limited to) specific programs to be undertaken during the fiscal year, the projected expenditures for the programs for the fiscal year, and the amount of the fee or fees planned to be levied to pay for the expenditures. The budget of the utility must be presented to legislation of the municipality annually. The aggregate amount of the fees proposed for a fiscal year must not exceed the aggregate amount of the projected expenditures for that fiscal year. The amount of the fees can be less, but not greater than what is proposed by the authority.

Any fee that is not paid for in full on or before the 30^th day after the date of which payment was due shall bear interest at such rates and in such a manner as provided for delinquent taxes. Any unpaid fee or portion unpaid, and interest due on the fee, shall constitute a lien on the property of the property owner to be recorded and released in the manner provided for property tax liens. Any person aggrieved by the stormwater utility has the same rights and remedies for an appeal and relief as is provided for taxpayers who are aggrieved by the doings of the assessors or board of assessment appeals.

The stormwater utility can adopt municipal regulation to implement the stormwater management program.

Often, the most reported concern of residents is aging infrastructure. In a 2021 Stormwater Utility survey, 73% of respondents reported that aging infrastructure was one of the two highest ranked stormwater management issues. Having funds on hand to address this concern has benefits for both the town and residents. Up to date infrastructure means a lower potential for flooding and illicit discharges and puts residents at ease seeing their money directly benefiting them and the town they live in.

Augusta, Georgia has been plagued with aging infrastructure and excessive flooding. While its rich history adds to the value of the city, the out-of-date drainage system has led to both physical and economic setbacks. With an estimated $240 million backlog of stormwater infrastructure repairs, the city desperately needed a more direct way to fund the imperative upgrades. Previously, stormwater funding had been gathered from a combination of a general fund and a Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax fund. Because the funding source was unreliable and had to be shared amongst other projects, the city could only afford six stormwater crews to man the various jobs required to improve drainage and stay in compliance with the MS4 permit. With the implementation of a stormwater utility in 2016, Augusta generated separate stormwater funds to be put towards doubling the amount of stormwater crews, rehab and repair of stormwater infrastructure, street sweeping, and catch basin cleaning to prevent flooding incidents. The city has already created a plan to take on 13 new priority projects addressing drainage improvements and flood hazard mitigation.

In Raleigh, North Carolina, the funds collected from their stormwater utility has led to a massive green infrastructure push. In the Fall of 2021, the city constructed a 1,700 sq. ft. bioretention area to collect and absorb surrounding stormwater runoff. The six trees and more than 750 plants spread throughout the bioretention area are expected to keep six pounds of nitrogen and 109 pounds of suspended solids from entering waterways every year.

On top of the direct use of funding, stormwater utilities can be a great way to incentivize homeowners and private property owners to participate in DCIA disconnection. Because the utility fee is based on the amount of impervious cover on a property, residents could have the opportunity to reduce their fee by reducing their total impervious cover. This can be done with a credit or discount system. Portland, Oregon offers stormwater credits for all property types - industrial, commercial, multi-family, single-family, and more. For residential properties, residents can receive fee discounts of up to 100% for properly managing rooftop stormwater runoff. The city provided examples of simple green infrastructure homeowners can use to disconnect rooftop DCIA, such as dry wells and french drains, lawns and rain gardens, rain barrels, and eco-roofs. By offering these discounts, residents may be more likely to disconnect their own homes, adding to the total percentage of disconnected DCIA towns need each year to be compliant with the permit.