Lee's Summit staff outline quarter‑cent sales tax to pay for stormwater repairs and crews

City staff in Lee's Summit told residents at a public presentation that a proposed one‑quarter‑cent sales tax on the Aug. 4 ballot would create a dedicated revenue stream to address aging stormwater infrastructure and chronic maintenance shortfalls.

"When it rains, the water's got to go somewhere," an agency official said, summarizing the two primary goals of stormwater management: moving runoff to streams and lakes without flooding homes and businesses, and reducing the pollution that reaches waterways.

The presenters said much of the city's underground system was installed before the mid‑2000s and relies on corrugated metal pipe whose galvanized coatings can corrode. Staff said the system comprises roughly 1.5 million linear feet of pipe and about 20,000 stormwater structures and that reactive repairs and replacements are expensive and disruptive.

The ballot question would add a quarter‑cent sales tax to the existing parks sales tax quota allowed by state law. "The current annual projection of a quarter‑cent sales tax is just over $6 million a year," Mr. Binger said, describing the city's revenue estimate and how the funds could be used over time.

City staff presented a general allocation framework they said stakeholders and council recommended: about half the revenue would go to operations and maintenance (including hiring two additional stormwater crews), roughly 25 percent to small capital projects (about $1.5–2 million a year), about 15 percent to engineering, planning and regulatory compliance (including a public educator), and a small share for administration.

Staff said the tax was selected after a multiyear review of alternatives — a per‑parcel user fee tied to impervious area, a property tax, and a sales tax. They said a user fee could impose charges on schools and churches and that sales tax is commonly used in Missouri for parks and stormwater.

Officials also highlighted regulatory drivers. The city participates in the National Flood Insurance Program administered by FEMA and operates under a state stormwater permit that requires planning, education and monitoring. An agency official noted public education can reduce water‑quality incidents such as E. coli outbreaks, and described outreach to address pet and wildlife waste entering waterways.

On timing, staff said state rules require implementation to begin Jan. 1 following the successful election; collections would begin Jan. 1, 2027, with the first remittances to the city likely in March 2027. City leaders said they would phase hiring and procure equipment during FY28 so the program could begin delivering visible work while also funding planning and smaller capital projects.

Staff described a backlog of service requests — roughly 500 investigations or work orders a year — and said the city has spent about $40 million on reactive capital repairs over the past 15 years. They argued preventive maintenance such as lining metal pipe typically costs a fraction of full replacement and would reduce long‑term lifecycle costs.

Speakers also discussed limits: the tax would not be used to fund very large, multi‑million‑dollar capital projects; those would still require voter‑approved bonds or other project‑specific funding. Presenters said the tax would create a distinct, dedicated fund restricted to stormwater uses and would not be co‑mingled with general fund revenues.

If voters reject the measure, staff said the city would remain in a primarily reactive posture and elected officials could determine whether to pursue alternatives or revised proposals in the future. Officials encouraged residents to review materials on the city's website and attend outreach sessions for more detail.

The presentation referenced past strategic planning efforts (LS 21st Century, LS360, Ignite Citizens strategic plan) and past voter‑approved funding rounds for stormwater projects (a 2007 bond and a 2017 sales tax) as context for the proposal.

The city recommended the ballot measure to provide predictable, growing revenue tied to sales activity, saying it would allow the city to hire crews, speed response times and invest in preventive maintenance across the system.