Are property owners in Richmond getting billed for stormwater fees they do not owe?

Ronald Sizemore thinks it could be happening.

The Richmond resident just received a $172 refund for fees he paid after he sought a justification for the billing.

The fees were imposed on a vacant lot he and two relatives own on the edge of Church Hill. They inherited the property, which once had a family home on it. The home was removed in 2015 because of decay.

Mr. Sizemore kept thinking there was something wrong, and as it turns out, he was right to question the bill.

After a Free Press inquiry, the city Department of Public Utilities confirmed that the property at 220 N. 20th St. does not have anything built on it and agreed that Mr. Sizemore was due a refund of the stormwater fees he previously paid.

“One of our inspectors went to the property and determined that the structure no longer exists and that there is no impervious area on the lot that he owns,” DPU spokeswoman Angela Fountain stated in an email in response to the inquiry.

Ms. Fountain stated that owners of properties that do not have any pavement or structures on them are not supposed to be charged.

The stormwater fee is based on the size of the roof and paved areas on a property, she noted. — JEREMY M. LAZARUS