The Ohio Revised Code provides for the establishment of stormwater management utilities, which are usually funded through a tax levy that is approved through referendum. Under Section 727.012 of the ORC, a municipality can initiate action that allows for an assessment based on a percentage of tax value, an assessment in proportion to the benefits to the property, or an assessment based on the front footage of the property (Nolte, 1983).
In June of 1985, Cincinnati adopted a stormwater management code that authorized collection of storm drainage service charges on developed land to finance a storm water management system (Nolte, 1985a). The idea of stormwater utilities started in the western U.S., and the Cincinnati district is the first established east of the Mississippi (Johnson, 1990). In addition to Cincinnati, stormwater utilities have been established in Forest Park (1988), Montpelier (1986), Union (1987), Upper Arlington (1990), Wooster (1985) and Zanesville (1987). The cities of Canal Winchester, Columbus, Delaware, Mayfield, Newark and Toledo are presently investigating the implementation of stormwater utilities (Johnson, 1990).