“The rain tax is something that the government will come and measure the amount of impervious surfaces you have at your home or your business, which are hard surfaces where there’s stormwater runoff and the water that goes into, you know, the streams and eventually the Chesapeake Bay watershed here. That’s an important issue. Nobody I’ve ever talked to advocates for not dealing with stormwater management. That’s a very important thing to cover. It’s a matter of how you do it. And right now, most people—most municipalities— they pay for these stormwater projects and infrastructure projects through their capital improvement project of funds or do their general fund taxes.” — Fairfax City Councilman Sang Yi

In Episode 236 of District of Conservation, Gabriella speaks with Fairfax City Councilman Sang Yi about Wednesday’s City Council vote to institute a stormwater utility fee, a.k.a. rain tax, by a 4-2 vote. The proposal will cost city taxpayers $4.48 million in 2022. Yi was one of two council members to oppose it, despite overwhelming opposition to the proposal.

Councilman Sang Yi was first elected to office in May 2018. He was the top vote-getter of any city council candidate in his first race and his 2020 re-election bid. On the Council, Sang is a strong advocate for the most efficient use of our taxpayer dollars, and is a leading voice for the preservation of the City’s character and family-friendly environment. He understands that as a Councilman, he represents the residents to City Hall, and not the other way around.

Gabriella and the two-term lawmaker discuss his background, what led him to run for office, the proposed Fairfax City rain tax, the rain tax vote and how it won’t help Chesapeake Bay conservation efforts. Tune in!

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SHOW NOTES

Read Councilman Yi’s Washington Examiner column

ATR: City of Fairfax Wants to Tax the Rain

Tax Foundation: Maryland’s Rain Tax Mandate Washed Away

Chesapeake Bay Foundation doesn’t tax stormwater utility fees

President Biden signed infrastructure bill including historic Bay funding budget ($238M across five years) into law

Learn more about Councilman Yi here and connect with him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.