Title
An Ordinance Amending Chapter 32 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Section 32-312, Permit, connection charges, and Division Five, Sewer Improvement Fees, regarding sewer rates and amending the Schedule of Fees and Charges to take effect July 1, 2022, for the same.
(Note: First read by Council on May 24, 2022. Passed by unanimous vote.)
Body
Key Issues:
The sewer tap fee was originally established in 1988 and has not been changed since it was adopted. The fee was set at $30 per drainage unit and limited to a maximum charge of 100 drains or $3,000, regardless of the impact to the sanitary sewer system.
In 2006 and 2008, the City Council approved sewer improvement fees in the Middle Big Creek and Maybrook watersheds for the construction of sewer system improvements. These impact fees are restricted to improvements within those drainage basins. Like the sewer connection fee, the watershed improvement fees were also limited to the first 100 drains per building.
Per the recent Wastewater Master Plan, the current amount of the sewer connection fee will not adequately fund the sewer system improvements identified as being necessary for the future development of the city.
Additionally, the Wastewater Master Plan report indicated there is an interrelation between the various watersheds and wastewater is conveyed to the Little Blue Valley Sewer District and the Middle Big Creek District through the use of pumping and storage facilities located in several watersheds. With a comprehensive Wastewater Master Plan the need to isolate these costs to the individual watersheds is unwarranted and the development of a system-wide Sewer Connection fee would be more appropriate considering the interrelation between the various watersheds.
The recommended sewer connection fee has been developed to create a city-wide approach to funding the sanitary sewer system. The methodology reviewed existing capacities and projected demands within the s...
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