St. Louis advances $443 million FY2027 budget alongside major CSO and SCADA funding

St. Louis advances $443 million FY2027 budget alongside major CSO and SCADA fundingThe Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District has introduced its fiscal year 2027 budget appropriations, pairing the $443 million plan with millions in supplemental funding for ongoing sanitary relief and combined sewer overflow projects.

The Board introduced a $443 million aggregate budget for FY2027 to cover wastewater and stormwater operations, debt service, and capital replacement.

Trustees advanced a $7.5 million supplemental appropriation for the Brentwood and Red Bud Avenue CSO elimination project, pushing its total funding to $21.5 million.

A $5.6 million contract was introduced for Corrigan Company to replace aging SCADA and telemetry equipment across 81 Bissell watershed facilities.

The Board introduced revised language for its stormwater impervious charge, formally exempting properties located in certain levee districts.

The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) Board of Trustees moved forward with its fiscal year 2027 financial planning on May 14, 2026, uniformly introducing a $443 million aggregate budget alongside a revised 2026 tax levy. The proposed FY2027 budget includes $224.1 million for the general fund, $151.5 million for debt service, and $40.8 million for stormwater and operations, maintenance, construction, and improvement (OMCI) funds. The board also introduced an ordinance to set the 2026 tax levies, which are projected to generate approximately $62.9 million in revenue across the district and its subdistricts. Alongside the overarching budget, the board advanced several high-value capital project appropriations tied to its ongoing consent decree obligations. Notably, trustees introduced a $7.5 million planned supplemental appropriation for the Brentwood and Red Bud Avenue Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) elimination project. The contract with Fred M. Luth & Sons, Inc., which involves removing an interceptor and private inflow sources, will now be fully funded at $21.5 million. Other major capital investments introduced include: • A $5.6 million contract with Corrigan Company to replace aging SCADA and telemetry equipment with modern Allen-Bradley PLCs at 81 sites within the Bissell watershed. • A $4.4 million supplemental appropriation for Bates Utility Company to complete the TM-01 Two Mile Creek Outfall Sanitary Relief project, bringing the total appropriation to $18.4 million. • A $2.4 million supplemental appropriation for the Upper Mattese Trunk Sanitary Relief project. In regulatory updates, the board introduced a revision to its Stormwater Impervious Charge Ordinance. The updated language will specifically exempt properties located within certain levee districts from paying the stormwater impervious charge. The board also renewed its consulting contract with Raftelis Financial Consultants, Inc. to provide rate model support and debt feasibility consulting for future rate commission proceedings.