The Stormwater Bond Projects are a set of improvements being considered for the City of Raytown’s stormwater system. These improvements would aim to alleviate issues like street flooding, private property flooding, rainwater ponding, and other rainfall related issues.

To improve the functionality and health of the stormwater system To alleviate street flooding Mitigate private property flooding Mitigate rainwater ponding

STORMWATER Stormwater is the surface water which results from rain or snow. As stormwater flows overland it picks up surface debris and pollutants such as dead leaves, plant debris, mud, and roadway pollution. On unpaved surfaces storm water will either seep into the ground and become a part of the ground water system or be absorbed by plants. However, on paved surfaces storm water accumulates and can cause erosion to structures. WASTEWATER Wastewater is water which has been used by a person, in a home, by a business, or in an industrial process. Examples of this are water flushed down toilets, water used in laundry machines, or water used to wash down floors. As wastewater contains human waste, it cannot be released back into the environment without treatment. CLEAN WATER Clean water is safe water, also called “potable water”. Clean water is often used as a stand in for the term “drinking water”, though clean water is also used in food preparation, for bathing and personal hygiene, and cleaning. Clean water has been treated at a potable water treatment facility and has to meet EPA requirements for human health and safety before being released for use.

The Citizens of the City of Raytown, Missouri voted in November 2022, to issue a general obligation bonds in the amount not to exceed $7,200,000.00 to acquire, construct, reconstruct, extend and improve the City’s storm sewer system. The bonds authorized the City to maintain tangible property tax rates sufficient to pay the interest and principal on the bonds until fully paid. Which means, the taxpayers have given Raytown permission to set temporary increases to the City’s property tax rates to repay the bond amounts incrementally over 20 years. The bond revenue generated by these increases will allow the City to complete more work on storm drains, storm pipes, and related infrastructure.

General Obligation Bonds, often called GO Bonds, are municipal bonds that provide a way for state and local governments to raise money for capital projects. GO Bonds are an option used by cities to raise funds to pay for qualified projects. GO Bonds are backed by the City’s ability to tax and temporarily raise taxes if necessary, in order to pay bondholders. GO Bonds allow the City to improve, repair, reconstruct and expand the roads and storm sewer systems now and pay for them over time. According to the Missouri Constitution, GO Bonds must be repaid no later than 20 years from the date of issuance.

If you own a home or pay property taxes, the stormwater GO bonds will be repaid from a modest increase in your property taxes. For a $150,000 home in the City of Raytown, the increase to your annual property tax bill would be less than .15 cents a day – max for the life of the bond.

Using GO Bonds to help fund infrastructure projects offers the greatest advantages to taxpayers: GO Bonds are secured by the City’s credit, resulting the lowest possible interest rate for financing capital projects, which is most advantageous to the taxpayers and the City. The cost of issuing bonds is generally lower as compared to other financing methods. Finally, issuing GO Bonds allows the City to complete larger projects more frequently.

In accordance with Section 26(f) of the Missouri Constitution and Section 95.135 RSMo, the final maturity of an issue of general obligation bonds must be no later than 20 years from the date of their issuance.

An analysis of the stormwater system will generally cover the jurisdiction of City of Raytown. This analysis will be used to identify issues within the system. The location of resulting repair work or new construction will be determined by the needs of the system, but specific locations are not yet known. Please keep checking back to this website for updates on specific locations!

Engineers working for George Butler Associates will use a mix of data analysis, industry standards, and decades of experience to recommend what needs to be fixed or added. These recommendations will be reviewed by city staff and together the project team will collaborate on the best solution. The public will be informed of these recommendations and will have the opportunity to voice any concerns or preferences. We value community involvement and look forward to hearing from you.

There will be multiple public workshops held, which will be great opportunities to come see project area maps and talk about any concerns with an engineer in person. Additionally, this project will be kept updated and has a spot for feedback to be submitted here: FLOODING FORM. If you want to reach out to the project team directly please fill out the contact form here: CONTACT

Modeling of the storm water system started in February of 2024. April and May of 2024 - gather public input and match up the model data with real world lived experiences of those living within Raytown. In June of 2024 the proposed design will be drafted, this will be available for City and public review and feedback in July of 2024. The conceptual design will be finalized in September of 2024. Following the conceptual design, final design will take place from September 2024 through June 2025, and then the project will go out to bid. In the final phase, a construction company will take over and implement the solutions identified in this project.

This website will be kept up to date with important updates. Additionally, the City of Raytown newsletter, Raytown sewer bills, and other public notices will be distributed to Raytown residents throughout the project.