About The City

The City of Lake Lotawana was incorporated in 1958, and is located in Jackson County in the State of Missouri. The city governs everything inside the City Limits: the Lakeside Residential district, the Shrout/Colbern Road area, 7 Highway area, Milton Thompson Road Tract, and the area south of 50 Highway – city map link. 

The city has a Mayor-Aldermen form of government. The elected  6 aldermen (the same as councilmen in other cities) and the elected Mayor serve two year, non-compensated, terms, make administrative decisions. 

The city is responsible for the sewer system, the police department, the roads in the city that do not go around the lake, the Planning and Zoning codes for residential and commercial development and business & dog/cat licenses. 

Property and sales taxes, police fines and franchise fees primarily fund the city.

The city has 2,215 residents around the lake, on Milton-Thompson Rd tract and on the annexed area south of Rt 50 according to the 2000 census.

The city hall staff consists of 14 fulltime and 1 part-time employees.  They are: the Police Chief, the Zoning Administrator, the Public Works Director, 4 Police Officers, an Animal Control Officer, a Police Admin. Assistant, Court Clerk, 2 Public Works staff, a City Clerk and a 1 person office staff .

The City of Lake Lotawana has a Municipal Court.  It normally meets the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30pm in City Hall (See the City Calendar on this web site for specific dates).  This court decides cases involving alleged violations of city ordinances.

Three fire protection districts protect the City of Lake Lotawana. They are autonomously administered (not by the City of Lake Lotawana) and are funded by allocations from property taxes.  The districts are:

The Lotawana Fire District  (covers the lakeside residential district)
The Prairie Township Fire District (covers the west side of Rt 7, north & south of Rt 50)
The Lone Jack Fire District (covers the east side of Rt 7, south of Rt 50)

Lake Lotawana is served by the Lee’s Summit R7 School District, Water Districts 13, 14 and 15 serve portions of Lake Lotawana.

The Lake Lotawana Association (founded in 1928) administers the Lakeside Residential District – a majority of the homes in the city.  The association has 37 elected district directors, one of whom is the president. 

The Lake Lotawana Association is responsible for the maintenance and safety of the lake and the common area around the lake. This includes the rules on the lake’s use, the policing of those rules, the lake’s environmental condition (dredging and silt management), the roads around the lake, activities on the lake such as the Fourth of July fireworks display, and the trash service.  Lakeside Residential District homeowner dues, boat registration fees and dock registrations from property owners who live around the lake fund the Association.

The City and the Association cooperate on a number of levels including road maintenance and the protection of the watersheds that flow into the lake.  The city and the association work together to communicate and interact with nearby towns and cities to address common issues the community faces.