Raftelis’ stormwater services range from setting up new utilities and fees to modifying existing rate structures to better reflect utilities’ changing cost drivers.
In addition to our strong financial, policy, and data analysis skills, our expertise in program development and regulatory issues, stakeholder facilitation, and customer service provision allows us to assist clients with their program development and public relationships during utility development, implementation, and post-go-live periods. We can help you meet and exceed expectations for organizational and operations optimization, and plan and implement effective management strategies to ensure the long-term success of your stormwater programs.

Stormwater utility feasibility and development
Whether spurred by regulatory requirements or local concerns, many local governments are facing growing stormwater infrastructure maintenance and rehabilitation needs, as well as meeting increasingly stringent water quality requirements. Raftelis can help municipalities and management districts develop stable funding strategies to serve customers over the long term. Our services range from setting up new utilities and fees to modifying existing rate structures, accounting for stormwater cost drivers, to assisting local governments with integrating bond funding into long-term plans and bond sales.
Raftelis assists municipalities and management districts in developing funding approaches tailored to their local stormwater needs. Whether you are just starting to differentiate stormwater service delivery from street maintenance or water/wastewater, or you have a well-established stormwater program and are aiming to improve service delivery, fee structures, or customer service, Raftelis can help evaluate alternative policies, benchmark stormwater programs and policies, document and improve business processes, and develop and implement new programs.
Raftelis has successfully implemented numerous stormwater fees for both large and small local governments, utilizing a variety of billing methods in communities with diverse concerns, varying data quality, and differing goals for funding structures and incentives. One of Raftelis’ particular strengths is in developing processes and software that enable stormwater billing on legacy utility and tax billing systems.
We also work with local government counsel on the development of ordinances that authorize or update existing stormwater utility policies.
Program implementation and support
An important aspect of program development is defining exactly which historic and future activities are included in a particular program. For some of these programs, and stormwater in particular, services are provided in a distributed manner by different departments, unlike most other government activities, such as transportation or fire protection. For these and other challenges, such as determining appropriate levels of service for stormwater services, Raftelis has employed a variety of approaches to help clients define these services for estimating costs and new utility development.
Raftelis also assists with regulatory compliance by supporting client interaction with regulators, developing permit-based programs and activity timelines, and performing compliance activities such as public involvement and outreach.
Raftelis also specializes in assisting with customer and public relations during utility development, implementation, and post-implementation periods, leveraging our expertise in public outreach, stakeholder facilitation, and customer service provision.

We guide you through the entire lifecycle of stormwater utility formation and development, from establishing stable funding strategies to the practical details of implementation. Our team works closely with yours to overcome technical hurdles—such as integrating fees into legacy billing systems and drafting ordinances—while simultaneously leading public outreach efforts to build community support for the new or modified programs.

Executive Vice President

Vice President

Vice President
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Utility development, implementation, and program support