Lee's Summit to vote on quarter-cent sales tax increase for stormwater management

Park said stormwater improvements are a priority for the city council and have been for about three decades.

"Currently, we take care of the system, all the stormwater infrastructure through our general fund predominantly. And it's a smaller amount of money comparably to the size of our needs," said Park.

Some people in Lee's Summit questioned why they need to fund an additional tax after approving a half-cent capital improvement sales tax in 2017.

"What was approved back in 2017 was one-time expenses," Park said.

Park said the sales tax in 2017 partnered with transportation and was used for about 26 specific projects. The majority of those projects have been completed or are in the works.

There's about six years left before that sales tax addition expires. Park said the funding is now mostly going to transportation over stormwater.

Not everyone supports the proposed tax. Former council candidate Zak Al Shawish said the burden should not fall on residents.

"When I was running, I talked to a lot of older folks, and they're being priced out of their homes and priced out of the city," he said. "And so this $0.25 may not seem like a lot, but to some people, it's gonna make a world of difference."

Al Shawish acknowledged the city's stormwater needs, but questioned the funding approach.

"We absolutely need to address the stormwater issue. The question is, where do we get the money from?" Al Shawish said.

He said the budget needs to be reworked if this is needed.

Park said if this measure doesn't pass, the city could look at reworking the city's general fund.

"Whether that be police services or planning services or fire services, all of the services the city is providing through the use of general fund revenues would need to be offset somewhere if they're going to increase expenditures on stormwater," said Park.

Al Shawish said you know in Jackson County, we're tax-fatigued.

However, other residents expressed support for the measure.

"I'm willing to pay a quarter-cent for the improvements," Mitch Blevins, a voter, said.

He's lived in Lee's Summit for about 38 years and said he's not opposed to improvements.

"Things don't improve without money, unfortunately, and taxes, either that or you find it a different way, I guess," Blevins said.

Jeremy Ures also voiced support.

"I'm all for it, for sure," Ures said.

He said he's seen the impact of stormwater and drainage issues in Lee's Summit.

"There's a lot of areas that we get warnings for flooding and areas of town where you can't drive through after a hard rain. So having that extra manning would definitely be helpful," Ures said.

The election is Tuesday, Aug. 4.

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