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Task Force to Study Kansas City’s Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Rates

Posted on April 18, 2016

(Kansas City, Mo.) – Tomorrow a 16-member Mayoral-appointed task force will kick off the first of a year-long series of public meetings that will analyze the financial aspects of Kansas City’s current and long-term water needs.

The first Cost of Service Task Force Meeting will take place Tuesday, April 19, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at KC Water Services, in the First Floor Auditorium (North Entrance), located at 4800 E. 63rd Street, Kansas City, Missouri.

“The availability of water and how we pay for it is not an issue that’s unique to Kansas City; it’s a conversation taking place in almost every city around the country. Let’s face it, water is essential to life in this country,” said Mayor Sly James. “While Kansas City is extremely fortunate to have a reliable source of high-quality water, water impacts a variety of public health, infrastructure, and economic development issues that are important for Kansas City’s future. I’m proud of the work KC Water does each and every day to provide Kansas City with high-quality and great-tasting tap water, and I’m grateful the members of this group have volunteered their time to take a closer look at the water needs of today’s customers and future generations and the related financial impact.”

Cost of Service Task Force members include:

  • Carol T. Adams – Kansas City Environmental Management Commission
  • Laura Alvarez – H&R Block, Director of Latino Operations
  • James Brox – Retired Economist, U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
  • John Cottrell – UMKC School of Dentistry, Director of Minority & Special Programs
  • Jill Erickson – Heartland Conservation Alliance
  • Pat Ertz – Jackson County #2, Wholesale Water Customer
  • Carl Evans – KCPS Board Member
  • Brenner Holland – Hunt Midwest
  • Jeff Krum – Boulevard Brewing Company, VP Corporate Affairs
  • Beth Low-Smith – KC Healthy Kids, VP Policy
  • Jan Marcason – Former Councilwoman & Chair of 2008 Cost of Service Task Force
  • Dave Mecklenburg – Kansas City, Missouri Parks Board Member
  • Katheryn Shields – Councilwoman, District 4 At-Large
  • John Rich – Mid-America Assistance Coalition, Executive Director
  • Jeff Thorn – Assistant Director of Engineering, Water Utilities, City of Lee’s Summit
  • Scott Wagner – Mayor Pro Tem & Councilman, District 1 At-Large (Task Force Chair)

In order to pay for necessary infrastructure upgrades and Federally-mandated programs, water and wastewater rates have significantly increased over the last several years. As such, KC Water will conduct a forward-looking Cost of Service analysis for the following reasons:

  • To ensure that the fees collected from KC Water customers are sufficient to cover the long-term operational funding of its three utilities (Water, Wastewater, and Stormwater)
  • To meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) mandated requirements of the Overflow Control Plan (OCP);
  • To service future debt requirements for water and wastewater capital improvements; and
  • To allocate costs and charge customers in a fair and equitable manner across customer classes for each utility.

Future meeting information and related material, such as agendas and presentations, can be found at www.kcwaterservices.org/cost.

For more information, please contact Brooke Givens, Media Relations Coordinator, at brooke.givens@kcmo.org or 816.513.0284.

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KC Water maintains and operates water treatment and distribution systems, stormwater management systems, and wastewater collection and treatment systems for residential and business customers in Kansas City and for wholesale customers in the Kansas City area. KC Water is primarily funded by fees charged to customers based on their use or impacts on the three utility systems.

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