A stormwater fee was implemented in Kansas City, Missouri in 1992 to fund the stormwater program of the Water Services Department. Funding from the stormwater fee is used for stormwater management, which includes catch basin maintenance, storm sewer and channel maintenance, flood protection system management, stormwater master planning, and compliance with state and federal stormwater regulations. Two divisions within the Water Services Department carry out these functions: the Stormwater Utility Division and the Stormwater Maintenance Division.
The original fee was based on customer class (i.e. residential, commercial, industrial) and was applied to all water accounts. However, the department planned to convert to an impervious surface based fee as soon as the technology became available.
On Nov. 3, 1998, voters of Kansas City, Mo., passed a ballot issue to revise the structure of the stormwater fee. The City Council subsequently passed Ordinance No. 990302, which made the revised fee effective on May 1, 1999. Under the new fee structure each parcel of land is charged a stormwater fee based on the amount of Runoff Surface on the property. Runoff Surfaces are impervious surfaces that do not allow rain or snow melt to be directly absorbed into the underlying ground. Examples of Runoff Surfaces include rooftops, asphalt or concrete driveways and parking lots, and tennis courts. Gravel surfaces are not considered to be Runoff Surfaces.
The stormwater fee is a user fee (not a tax) that is based solely on the amount of Runoff Surface on a property, which is considered to be an indicator of a property's runoff contribution. As a result, commercial and industrial properties with large amounts of Runoff Surface pay a larger fee than residential properties. At the current rate of $0.50 per Runoff Unit (500 sq ft of Runoff Surface), the average residential property will pay only $3.00 per month.
The fee is not based on the actual or theoretical amount of stormwater runoff, nor the amount of rain or snow received. It also does not take into consideration whether the property is connected to city water, served by storm sewers, or whether the runoff drains directly to a stream or river. All properties having Runoff Surface are subject to the stormwater fee.
The stormwater fee is included on each water bill when a parcel has only one water service. When a parcel has no water service, multiple water services, or an inactive water service, a "stormwater only" bill is sent to the parcel owner.
To learn how the stormwater fee is calculated, see calculate your bill. To learn about the two credits that are available, see applying for credits. If you wish to talk with a Stormwater Utility Division representative, call 816-513-0563.
