A decision to raise the stormwater fees in Tampa has been put on hold.
Tampa city council members decided to wait after dozens of residents complained about the proposal Thursday.
The two-part plan calls for an increase in the stormwater assessment fee. If approved, most homeowners would see an increase in November. The average rate would go from $36 to $82 a year.
The second part of the plan imposes a new stormwater improvement tax for capital drainage projects.
"If we don't fix it now, we will continue to fall behind," said Brad Baird, Administrator of Tampa Public Works and Utilities.
The stormwater improvement fee would gradually increase until 2021.
The homeowner of a medium-sized home would eventually be capped at $180 a year.
Property owners said the improvement tax was unfair to some neighborhoods who don't have flooding and should be revisited.
"We're asking that you consider delaying this matter some, to see if we can get it right this time because you're talking about locking this in for a long time and it's just, the magnitude of some of the perceived inequities and the amounts are causing some real concern," said Mike Peterson of the Greater Tampa Association of Realtors.
After two hours of public input the council decided to wait on both fees.
In September, they'll meet to discuss raising the stormwater assessment fee.
The new improvement tax will be put on the council's agenda for the first of October.