St. Louis-area voters have approved two Metropolitan Sewer District ballot measures.
79% of voters in St. Louis and St. Louis County voted yes on Proposition W, which authorizes a $750 million bond issue to pay for federally mandated sewer improvements.
Prop W will allow the MSD to sell bonds and spread out the cost of work. Residents will see rates increase by about 7% annually over the next four years. An average monthly bill would rise from about $61 in 2025 to about $75 in 2028.
Proposition S received 57% yes votes. That measure will raise property taxes to fund more than 500 sewer improvement projects over the next 20 years.
The 7.45 cent (per $100 assessed valuation) residential property tax will raise more than $35 million a year. The bill for a home valued at $200,000 will increase $28.31 per year. Prop S will also enact a monthly charge for public and private, nonresidential properties with more than 1,000 square feet of impervious surfaces, like concrete and asphalt.
Any qualifying property owner will see an increase of $1.05 per month for every 1,000 square feet. Prop S will provide funding for the MSD to complete more than 500 stormwater improvement projects in St. Louis and St. Louis County by 2045.
Proposition S came in response to severe flash flooding in the area two years ago. On July 26, 2022, it took just 12 hours to reach 25% of St. Louis' average annual rainfall.
St. Louis Public Radio’s Lauren Brennecke contributed to this report.
