Residents of Newport News may have to pay more rainwater bills.

City manager Cindy Rohlf's proposed budget will increase rainwater management fees by about 40 cents a month, or an annual increase of $4.80 for residents.

"This is actually due to the need to address drainage and rainwater projects," said Lisa Cipriano, the city's budget director. "Many of these are regulated by federal and state guidelines."

Rohlf said that last year's budget proposal included a cost increase, but the city decided not to implement it. The cost has remained the same for two years. She believes that because the work to improve the urban drainage system must be completed, the increase will not be postponed.

"I can tell you that the things we hear most in the office are probably about floods, rain, or blocked drains," Rolf said.

According to a document provided by city government spokesperson Kim Lee, last year, the public works department received more than 1,000 calls regarding maintenance, repair or replacement of drainage systems, and the engineering department received approximately 150 calls regarding drainage issues.

This fee is a dedicated income, which means it can only be used for rainwater management related expenses. Newport News has approximately 40 projects in various stages of design or construction, and another 15 projects are planned to begin within the next five years. The city hopes to develop a master plan for stormwater management, floodplain management, and climate change and resilience master plans to identify projects and develop a framework for the next 10 to 15 years.

The city’s drainage network includes approximately 3,000 buildings, 200 miles of storm drains, 60 miles of main ditches, more than 60 storm water management facilities, 50 miles of roadside ditches, and 53 miles of rear and side ditches.

One of the projects will include improving the drainage system of Warwick Avenue from Raleigh Road to the government ditch. The document stated that the main system was "in poor condition (and) built in accordance with outdated design standards." About 50 companies along the road will benefit from the new system.

The public can view the proposed budget on the city's website http://www.nnva.gov. Each public library’s budget and evaluation department provides printed copies.

Jessica Nolte, 757-912-1675, jnolte@dailypress.com