As a homeowner with a creek slowly coming up to my backyard, I applaud and support MSD’s effort to get a more logical way of charging people based on their “non-absorbant” square footage. If you can come up with a better way to calculate water run-off, be my guest. But every roof top, driveway, parking lot, etc. is essentially diverting rain water into something at a much higher rate than if it was to simply be absorbed into the ground. The real issue is the speed at which the water attacks. Fast running, high volumes of water cause the most problems. When all of the houses, roadways, parking lots collect and dump huge volumes of water, where do you think it all goes? And who do you think takes care of the things that handle all of this water?

And so when we have drought conditions the second half of 2008, we’ll all be getting refunds right?!?!?

For those in STL county, here is a link that may be helpful in making your concerns known.

http://www.stlouisco.com/elections/ELECTEDOFFICIALS.html

Charging a stormwater rate based on impervious area is something new for our community. This new funding method is meant to provide much needed stormwater services in our area, and to pay for those services in the most equitable and fair manner possible. Obviously, there are a variety of opinions out there on if MSD has taken the right approach, and there remain a number of questions from the public that need answers. For anyone interested in discussing this topic, I’d welcome your phone call or e-mail (314-768-6237 –or– llecomb@stlmsd.com). Or, you can visit our website at http://www.stlmsd.com, where there is an extensive question and answer section on the new stormwater rate. Additionally, MSD’s Executive Director, Jeff Theerman, will be on the Mark Reardon Show on 1120AM KMOX tomorrow (Wednesday, May 14th) during the 2:00PM hour.

We’ve been working hard to get information to the public on the why and how behind the new impervious rate. And we’ll keep working hard and take every phone call that comes our way. I know with some, we may have to agree to disagree, but it’s important that dialogues like this take place in our community.

Lance LeComb
MSD Spokesperson
Phone: (314) 768-6237
E-mail: llecomb@stlmsd.com

Stormwater can be a valuable commodity. Why should MSD get it for free?

My husband and I live in a wonderful area of 7 acres that contains mostly farmland. Like our neighbors, we have never received an MSD bill before and was more than a little upset that we had to pay annual taxes, but we paid it. We have our privately owned septic system…away from the county and we haul our water. I have called MSD and was told it was for rain water runoff. As of December 2007, Missouri approved legislation that allowed for this billing and stopped part of the MSD taxation on the annual property tax. Also, the bill will address the problem of taxing everyone based on square footage of the home and not by taxing everyone the same.

My problem: The service date on our MSD bill is incorrect it states 4-28 THRU 03/31/08. I was told by MSD this is in error because the service dates commenced before the state’s approval of 12/2007 and should include only the month of April 2008. What is the actual service date? Also, why do we have to worry about another bill when we never had an MSD bill before? If MSD can bill us why not tax everyone properly on the property taxes…most people pay their taxes. We did.

I am one of the ones with a septic tank. I have lived in the house for 16 years. I have never used, needed nor will need the services of MSD. They do not maintain the creek that my water runoff goes into. This fee is unfair

MSD snuck this through by proposing to the small group of people that attend local council meetings rather than it being put on a ballot for a vote as a tax.

We live in an area that has no sewers either. We have a septic tank and live in the middle of 3 acres.

I find it funny that MDS calculated how much hard surface we have but can’t produce a watershed map that shows the route our run off takes to get to their treatment center. If they could produce a water shed map and could show me how the water travels to get to them, I might buy into this scam a little easier.

When I spoke to MSD and explained that the run off from several of the homes in the subdivision goes to a creek bed that runs directly to the river. The lady said that MSD maintains the creek bed in our private subdivision as well. Sorry, but wouldn’t the corps of engineers be more likely to maintain creeks? In our case, the creek bed is on private property and I’ve never seen any one maintain it.

My greatest hope is that a class action suite is levied.

Since MSD is claiming responsibility for all of these creeks in all of the watersheds, property owners can appeal to them for service. Brush and washouts obstruct the flow of water in creeks–ask them to maintain or improve the creeks to good drainage standards. Those paying into the system have that right. What else is the extra $12 M going to go to? Directors’ salaries? Not if they have to put it back into the ground.

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.
The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.

Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets.

Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them.

The government is like a baby’s alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.

No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.

-Ronald Reagan
As true today as ever!!