LEWISTON – People absolved of having to pay the city’s storm-water utility fee should get the last fiscal year they paid refunded, councilors agreed Tuesday.

Councilors discussed granting retroactive credit to Lewiston residents or businesses that prove storm water that falls on their property never touches the city’s roads, culverts or storm-water system.

Councilor Larry Poulin called for the city to refund all fees paid by property owners that prove they deserve the credit.

“That’s fair,” Poulin said. “People know about the credits now, because people are talking about them. But they didn’t always and it’s not fair to punish people for something they couldn’t know about.”

The city adopted the storm water utility fee in 2005 to pay for culvert maintenance, street-sweeping and storm-sewer projects. Fees are based on the amount of hard surface on properties, including roofs, sidewalks, parking lots and driveways.

That fee is $40 per year for single-family homes or $60 for duplexes. All others, including businesses, churches and nonprofits, pay 4.4 cents per square foot of paved or hard surface.

In September, councilors extended a storm water fee credit to business owners who drain all of the storm water collecting on their property directly into the Androscoggin River, never touching the city system. Businesses that can prove that none of the rain falling on their property drains into a city system don’t have to pay the fee.

Councilors approved credits for some homeowner at their Jan. 7 meeting, letting 146 homeowners living along Lewiston’s outer boundaries not pay the fee if they can prove the storm water that falls on their property doesn’t drain into city maintained culverts, ditches or roads.

City Administrator Jim Bennett said making all credits completely retroactive would cost the city about $21,000. The city would also have to set aside some money to make sure they could refund any fee at any point in the future.

“If someone pays the fee for 15 years and then comes in and discovers they qualify for a credit, they’d want to get all 15 years refunded,” Bennett said. “There has to be some onus on the individual ratepayers to determine if they qualify for the credit or not.”

Other councilors agreed, suggesting the city refund any fees paid in the current fiscal year to residents that qualify for new credits. They’re scheduled to vote on the matter in February.