Jefferson City has a $15 million problem that remains largely unnoticed, except in neighborhoods where it literally has erupted.
The problem is stormwater infrastructure, and work on the city's 58 listed project sites remain backlogged due to inadequate funding.
Part of the problem is that underground pipes - whether municipal or residential - tend not to become a priority, respectively, for either taxpayers or homeowners until they fail.
Although the city's Public Works department is acutely aware of the need, requesting tax dollars can be a tough sell - particularly for residents not yet affected by crumbling road surfaces or by sinkholes surrounded by orange fencing.
Agency Director Matt Morasch said the city's half-cent capital improvements sales tax is the primary source for financing for stormwater infrastructure. City voters on Aug. 2 will decide on a proposed extension of the tax, which would allocate $1.8 million to stormwater projects during the next five years.
The amount, incidentally, marks a decrease from the $2 million allocation during the existing five-year period.
Another obstacle to timely stormwater repairs is the department has only a single design engineer; a consequence of the city's 2013 budget shortfall was a reduction of the department's design engineers from four to one.
A story in Sunday's News Tribune outlining the city's stormwater problems was accompanied by a list of the 58 projects awaiting action. If your neighborhood isn't on the list, chances are it is in the vicinity of one that is.
Don't be surprised, then, if crumbling roads or sinkholes begin to appear in your neighborhood in the not-too-distant future.
Falling further behind in addressing stormwater needs is a perilous situation for our city.
The prevailing question is whether residents are willing to channel additional tax dollars to stormwater repairs, through an increased allocation in the capital improvements sales tax, establishment of a tax-supported stormwater utility or another revenue stream.
Although the question may be premature, it is not premature for the city to begin building its case for the need to make vital stormwater improvements.