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64 (MSD) has announced a proposal to ask the public for a $945-million bond issue in the April 2012 election. If the bond issue passes, MSD would raise the average homeowner’s monthly bill by nearly 64 percent throughout the course of four years. The bond issue would help fund a $1-billion capital improvement plan that would help MSD meet federal consent decree requirements. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Missouri Coalition for the Environment filed a lawsuit to require

MSD to upgrade its sewer and wastewater treatment plants. The consent decree came out of mediation efforts. “There never was a question of whether these improvements needed to be made, but how soon,” MSD spokesman Lance LeComb said. Among the improvements would be a $21-million upgrade to the Bisell Pointe treatment center, said plant manager Bret Berthold. Rate increases would be needed to pay the bond issue. The year-by-year increases for the average monthly residential bill would be as follows. Fiscal year Monthly bill

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