Council adopts 10‑year water and sewer CIP, city projects $188 million in needs

Kannapolis City Council voted to accept the city’s fiscal 2027–2036 water and sewer Capital Improvement Plan, moving the multiyear strategy into an implementation phase.

Alex, the city presenter, told council the CIP is tied to the 2030 comprehensive plan and a planning horizon of 10 years. “So by 2030, we’re estimating our water needs will be 8,500,000 gallons of water per day,” Alex said, and added the city expects wastewater demand to reach about 7,000,000 gallons per day by 2030 and roughly 9,000,000 by 2040. The plan groups projects into system maintenance, conveyance upgrades, pump station work and capacity increases, and includes interconnections to Charlotte and Salisbury for future reliability.

The presenter said the 10‑year total funding need is approximately $188,000,000 and that the city is actively pursuing federal and state grants to reduce direct rate impacts on customers. Several council members asked about environmental permitting for a possible joint Landis‑Kannapolis wastewater treatment facility; Alex said staff is “engaging the state to work through the environmental permitting” and acknowledged that discharge permits present a complex process.

Council member [mover] made a motion to accept the CIP, the motion was seconded by Miss Dixon, and council approved the plan by voice/raise of hands. The city indicated next steps include continued grant pursuit, project sequencing, and integrating CIP items into future budget cycles.