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Published on March 13, 2024
KANSAS CITY, KS - Tomorrow at 6PM, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City Kansas (UG) will host a special meeting in the Commission Chambers of the Municipal Building (701 N. 7th Street, KCK). The UG Board of Commissioners and community members will hear a presentation on the status of our stormwater program and fees by the Department of Public Works. The public is invited to tune-in online or in-person.
Like many communities across the nation, the UG has an aging sewer system that requires continuous maintenance. In May 2020, following ten years of negotiations and with the approval of the UG Commission, the UG entered a mandatory agreement, also known as a consent decree, with Department of Justice the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
This agreement requires the UG to reduce sewer overflow and invest approximately $900 million to meet federal Clean Water Act regulations within a 25-year period per the Sewer Investment Plan. Without this agreement, the UG would have to pay large fines and penalties to the federal government while still maintaining responsibility for repairing and upgrading the sewer system. Sewer overflows typically occur during rain events where our stormwater and sewer infrastructure is combined. This leads to an influx of stormwater in the system which can overflow our waterways which sometimes contains untreated wastewater.
The adopted 25-year Sewer Investment Plan provides a funding model for these required investments through steady, marginal stormwater rate increases at or below 5% each year. The projected average increase is 3.5% annually over the next two decades. This strategy allows for a more predictable approach versus the year-to-year fluctuations of the past that averaged about 6% in annual increases.
In November 2022, the UG Commission adopted a revised rate structure because the previous stormwater fee was not generating enough revenue to maintain the current stormwater infrastructure, much less improve it. The new stormwater user charge model is more equitable for all properties as it factors in the amount of hard surface on a parcel which is a reflection of the amount of stormwater runoff it contributes to the system.
Last September 2023, as part of the budget adoption process, the UG Commission voted to adopt the stormwater rates which went into effect on January 1, 2024 and appeared on utility bills in February 2024.
The new stormwater user charge includes both flat base rate (Base Charge) and a hard surface (Impervious Area Charge) rate for both residential and commercial properties. On average, it is estimated that residential properties will see an increase of approximately $2.41 per month, going from an average monthly charge of $6.30 to $8.71 per month. You can lookup your stormwater rate at wycokck.org/ratelookup.
Since private residential property makes up 83.7% of all KCK parcels but only accounts for 32.5% of all impervious hard surfaces, it was important to separate residential from commercial rates in the new structure. Previously, businesses and non-residential properties were charge $14.70 per month regardless of how the land is used and the area of impervious surfaces.
The new monthly base rate for commercial properties is $4.15, regardless of the size of the property. The monthly Impervious Area Charge is calculated by determining the impervious square footage of a property and applying a rate. To support best practices in stormwater management, non-residential properties may be eligible for various credits, such as:
Applicants can apply for these first-time stormwater credits any time during 2024. In subsequent years, there will be a Credits Open Enrollment Period each year from January 1 through March 31. More information can be found at wycokck.org/stormwater.
Krystal R. McFeders
Public Information Officer
kcmcfeders@wycokck.org
913-573-5565 (office)
913-231-9846 (cell)
Thursday, March 14, 2024 6:00 p.m. Municipal Building - Commission Chambers 701 N. 7th Street Tfwy.,Kansas City, KS 66101
The public is invited to attend this meeting in-person or remotely via Zoom. The meetings will be also broadcasted live via the UG YouTube page and UGTV- Channel 2. For more information about upcoming meetings and the detailed agenda, please visit www.wycokck.org/clerk
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