Committee reopens stormwater utility discussion; advisory group favored user fee of about $99/year for median home in 2022 estimate

Lee's Summit staff briefed the Public Works committee on April 14 on the need for a dedicated stormwater funding mechanism and next steps for evaluating a possible stormwater utility.

Background and advisory recommendation: City engineer George Binger traced decades of study and past citizen task forces and said the idea of a dedicated stormwater funding source has recurred in the city’s plans. A stormwater advisory committee (staff and citizen stakeholders) reviewed options and in 2022 recommended a stormwater user fee based on impervious area. The advisory group's 2022 estimate used a billing unit of 500 square feet of impervious area; the median Lee's Summit home (about 3,500 square feet of impervious area) equated to seven billing units and an estimated annual fee of about $99 under the staffing and…