Mayors of Lake Rivera and Edwardsville brief Unified Government on local projects and concerns

Mayors from Lake Rivera and Edwardsville used the Aug. 7 Unified Government session to outline local priorities and ask for continued county support.

The mayor of Lake Rivera described recent work to issue the city’s first general obligation bond — $3.2 million over 15 years — to repair a Class A dam spillway that the city said received 60% of its revenue from property taxes and that would have placed railroad traffic at risk if not repaired. The mayor said the spillway performed as designed during recent heavy rains. He also requested Unified Government assistance to slow traffic on Holiday Drive, citing an increase in semi‑truck traffic after nearby highway changes.

Edwardsville Mayor Kehar asked the commission to consider removing the BPU pilot charge from the bills of residents who live outside Kansas City, Kansas — a request she said she first raised three years ago — and encouraged the commission to return funding for the SCI‑FI (countywide infrastructure program referenced by the mayor) to the neighborhood budget. She also suggested clearer separation in the meeting agenda between city and county business to improve transparency.

Commission leadership and staff advised both mayors to coordinate with the pilot task force and relevant commissioners; Commissioner Bynum and others were identified as points of contact for pilot and infrastructure discussions.

Ending: Staff and commissioners encouraged continued engagement and noted planned task‑force work on pilot issues and infrastructure planning.