Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Buckner and neighboring towns ask Jackson County for millions to fix water, sewer and fire‑safety gaps
Summary
City Administrator Sherry Roberts told the Jackson County Legislature that Buckner, Sibley and Levesy face repeated water and sewer breaks, no fire hydrants in some places and infrastructure needs that equal multiple years of their budgets; the county said it is collecting municipal requests and preparing an infrastructure appropriation package.
Representatives from Buckner told the Jackson County Legislature on July 6 that small municipalities are struggling to maintain water and sewer systems and need county support. "This really isn't just a request for funding, but a direct investment in the safety, reliability, and daily lives of the citizens of Jackson County," said Sherry Roberts, identified in the record as the city administrator for Buckner, which she said has about 3,000 residents.
Roberts said Buckner, Sibley and Levesy face aging lines, recurring boil advisories and, in at least one community, no fire hydrants — forcing fire crews to shuttle water. She recounted multiple recent line breaks and said the total infrastructure needs exceed what those towns could fund without outside help. The presentation packet provided to legislators was described in the meeting as including engineering costs and an estimated total that committee members later cited as $13,231,000 across the three municipalities.
County Executive Levota told legislators staff had met with municipalities and that a county infrastructure appropriation was being developed; he asked the body to move a pending infrastructure ordinance out of committee to allow public hearings and further action. Legislators asked for digital copies of the municipalities' packets and clarified that Buckner purchases water from Independence and resells to Sibley and Levesy, which can amplify supply and pressure problems.
The administration later placed an appropriation item on next week’s public hearing list for up to $15,415,000 to fund municipal infrastructure projects and cooperative agreements, with details to be discussed during the scheduled hearing.
