Should Silverbrook Charge a Stormwater Fee by Hard Surface?

Resolution: The fictional city of Silverbrook should replace the flat storm drain charge on its water bill with a fee based on each property's hard surface area.

What the argument is about. When rain falls on grass or soil, much of it soaks in. When rain falls on a roof, a driveway, or a parking lot, almost all of it runs off. That runoff goes into storm drains, which carry it to Silverbrook Creek. The pipes, inlets, and ponds that handle the runoff cost money to build, clean, and repair.

Silverbrook now pays for that system with a flat charge of $3 a month on every water bill. Every account pays the same amount. A small house pays $3, and so does a shopping center with a six-acre parking lot.

Under the proposed change, the city would measure the hard surface on each property from aerial photographs. Each property would then pay by the square foot of roof and pavement. A typical home would pay about $4 a month. A large store with a big lot would pay much more. Properties that install rain gardens or permeable pavement could apply for a credit that lowers the bill.

Roles. Divide the class into two teams of four to six. Team A argues for the hard surface fee. Team B argues against it. Choose one moderator to keep time and three judges to score with the rubric. Everyone else prepares questions for the question round. Session one ends with each team's opening statement written out and its rebuttal points drafted on note cards.

Format. Opening statement, four minutes per team. Question round, six minutes, with each team asking and answering. Preparation break, three minutes. Closing statement, three minutes per team. The judges score during the closings and report before the debrief.

Case for the hard surface fee

• Runoff comes from hard surfaces, so a fee based on hard surface charges each property for what it actually sends to the drains. A flat charge does not. (Reasoning point, no outside source needed.)
• Under the flat charge in the fictional city of Silverbrook, a small house and a shopping center each pay $3 a month, even though the store's parking lot sheds far more water in a storm. (Fictional Silverbrook rate schedule, written for this kit.)
• Churches, private schools, and government buildings pay no property tax, so they now pay almost nothing toward the drains. A fee is charged to every property, so those large roofs and lots would pay a share. (Reasoning point about how fees differ from taxes.)
• The fee comes with credits. A property owner who adds a rain garden, a cistern, or permeable pavement can apply for a lower bill, so the fee gives people a reason to keep rain out of the pipes. (Fictional Silverbrook draft ordinance, written for this kit.)
• Buried water infrastructure across the country has been underfunded for years. The ASCE 2025 Report Card gave US wastewater a grade of D plus and drinking water a C minus. (Source: ASCE 2025 Report Card for America's Infrastructure.)
• In the fictional city of Silverbrook, the storm drain fund has finished each of the last three years short of what the crews needed, and two streets flood in most heavy storms. (Fictional Silverbrook public works report, written for this kit.)

Case against the hard surface fee

• Water costs are already climbing. Combined US water and sewer bills rose about 24 percent from 2019 to 2024 and about 5.1 percent in 2025, faster than prices in general. A new charge lands on top of that. (Source: Bluefield Research and industry rate surveys.)
• A widely used rule of thumb, based on two EPA guidelines, treats combined water and sewer costs above about 4.5 percent of household income as a high burden. Families near that line feel every added charge. (Source: EPA Water Affordability Needs Assessment, 2024.)
• Large lots do not always belong to rich owners. In the fictional city of Silverbrook, the middle school and the food pantry would both move into the top ten bills, and money they spend on the fee is money not spent on students and meals. (Fictional Silverbrook impact estimate, written for this kit.)
• The city already collects property taxes, and drains were paid from that fund for decades. Opponents say a separate fee is a tax under a different name, passed without a vote of the people. (Reasoning point about how cities raise money.)
• Measuring every property costs money. The fictional Silverbrook estimate is $260,000 to map the city and set up billing, plus two years of staff time to handle appeals. That money does not fix a single pipe. (Fictional Silverbrook public works report, written for this kit.)
• Renters do not receive the bill, so the credit for rain gardens does not reach them. Landlords may raise rent to cover the fee, which means tenants pay without gaining the choice the fee is supposed to offer. (Reasoning point about who receives a bill.)