The meeting of the Parkville Board of Aldermen held virtually Tuesday, April 6 tackled both a proposed six percent sewer rate increase and the city’s subdivision platting requirements.
Director of public works Alysen Abel presented several options for the future of the Parkville sewer system, after aldermen suggested looking into them last month.
Of the options presented, one maintained the status quo, one turned additional administrative oversight over to a third party, such as billing and customer services. Another option was the creation of a stand-alone sewer department, which would increase costs in the short term, she said, due to the need to hire a director and three to five staffers. This would free up time of existing city staff to devote to regular city services. Another option was consolidation into the Platte County Regional Sewer District, transferring ownership of all city sewer services to the district.
The city would not be compensated for this consolidation, but would no longer be forced to fund the system. The last option is the sale of the sewer utility to a private entity. In the 1980s, the city turned over its water utility to what is now Missouri American Water, and Abel noted the city had little control over how Missouri American Water controlled the water system and rates.
The discussion also strayed to the city’s agreement with the Riss Lake Homeowner’s Association to collect grinder pump payments for that organization.
Board members said this should become a part of any future discussions on the sewer system.
Resident Gordon Cook – who spoke to the board during previous discussions on the sewer rate – cautioned the city against selling the utility, stating he believed it would equate to residents to pay a premium for sewer service. He questioned if the board had done its due diligence to review the reports, which he said contained numerous errors and questionable reporting.
He said should the board approve the increase without any additional comment, residents may be forced to file civil litigation against the city.
Alderman Bob Lock said he found Cook’s analysis to show a flawed understanding of the data and said while the city should ensure it is operating its sewer system efficiently, he felt the presentation was a misrepresentation.
As he did at a previous meeting, Cook mentioned the Creekside development and referenced a lawsuit associated with the area and why it was not included in the reports.
Mayor Nan Johnston suggested Cook included commentary on Creekside to confuse the issue and throw a hot-button name onto the sewer topic, stating she resented his insinuation.
Alderman suggested a copy of Cook’s report be sent to consulting firm Baker Tilly, as the matter of a lawsuit questioning that firm’s data had been raised.
Board members were also split between whether the sewer rate increase should be approved before the consults could weigh in again. With the vote tied, Johnston voted no, delaying the rate adjustment until the board’s questions could be answered.
SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS
An amendment to Parkville municipal code regarding subdivision plats dredged up some old hard feelings among members of the audience.
A few Parkville area subdivisions are divided between the City of Parkville and unincorporated Platte County, leading to difficulties in providing services, confusion from residents unsure who is in charge of their road maintenance and other technical difficulties.
To prevent some similar confusion in the future, the board approved an amendment requiring new subdivision plats to be within city limits.
Earlier this year, the city approved two plats of the Thousand Oaks development containing areas split between the city and the county. As no code prohibiting this application existed, the plats were approved.
In the aftermath, city attorneys with Williams and Campo recommended the city amend the code to require future plats applications to be contained within municipal boundaries.
Johnston pointed out the new amendment would not apply to any homes already built or under construction, and was not a bid to annex large portions of the county into the city.
Audience members spoke up about the involuntary annexation of property in 2001 and urged the city to remember the past and look into the existing case law on annexation.
City attorney Chris Williams said he was quite familiar with Missouri annexation case law, as he had authored the Missouri Bar Association’s annexation law handbook. The amendment to city code did not fall under annexation law, he said.