Lawrence residents could face an increase in their monthly city utility bills if city commissioners don’t come up with another way to foot the cost of a $41 million plan to alleviate North Lawrence flooding.

The commissioners’ first plan is to approach Douglas County officials about sharing the cost.

But at a joint study session with the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission on Wednesday, commissioners said they couldn’t rule out an increase in the monthly stormwater fees, which currently range from about $1.50 to $10 depending on the size of a home, and which come bundled as part of residents’ trash bills.

Commissioners said it was too early to say how much, if any, increase would be needed, in part because they haven’t yet decided which of the $41 million worth of projects are feasible.

“We’re going to have to talk about (a fee increase) but I know that is not what we want to do,” City Commissioner Mike Amyx said.

City commissioners will meet with Douglas County commissioners and board members of the Maple Grove Drainage District on Feb. 22. About $25 million of the recommended flood control projects are outside current city limits.

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“From my perspective, this is not just a city issue. It is larger than that,” City Manager Mike Wildgen said.

And Planning Commissioner David Burress said he thought North Lawrence residents should pay a portion of the costs for improvements.

He estimated that the $41 million plan called for the equivalent of $20,000 in improvements for each of the 1,400 homes in North Lawrence.

“I would have a problem with the taxpayers paying that type of money,” Burress said. “I think the residents should share in the costs. They bought houses that were built over time and caused the problems. The houses created many of the problems.”

But Ted Boyle, president of the North Lawrence Improvement Assn., said his organization would fight any efforts to impose a special tax or fee on North Lawrence residents.

“I think any new development that is built in the future ought to have to absorb the costs, but not established residents,” Boyle said.

“We’ve been paying property taxes over here for a hundred years and received very little for it. A lot of these improvements should have happened 30 or 40 years ago,” Boyle said after meeting with about 60 members of his association on Monday.

At that meeting, it became clear the No. 1 priority for North Lawrence residents is a $3.9 million upgrade to the pump station near Fifth and Maple. That upgrade would replace a 9-inch intake line with a 60-inch line. That would help alleviate flooding near the Lyons Park area. North Lawrence residents also said they recognized that financial restraints would make it difficult for all the projects to happen, and that some projects would have to be completed in phases.

But engineers with the consulting firm HNTB warned commissioners that none of the recommended projects contained in the $41 million plan would entirely protect North Lawrence from flooding. The projects inside the city limits are designed to function well during a rainstorm dropping a little more than 4 inches in 24 hours.

Heavier rains could still result in flooding, but the improvements should allow the area to drain more quickly after a rainstorm.