A Tahlequah homeowner told the City Council on Oct. 6 that recent stormwater and street work on White Avenue has left her property flooding and urged the city to improve planning and communication.

Montana Hedrick, a White Avenue resident, told the council she remodeled her home and has ‘‘had nothing but problems with my house flooding’’ since the stormwater ditch in front of his house was removed and replaced with a French drain. ‘‘This project was roughly a thousand feet … of storm drain, curb, gutter, and a road cap, and it’s taken approximately 8 months to complete,’’ Hedrick said, adding that work left open holes, stockpiles and material that reduced the effectiveness of newly installed drainage boxes.

The complaint drew immediate attention because the problem mixes construction quality, drainage design and public safety. Councilors and staff said engineers and the street commissioner have visited the site and are working on solutions; no formal council action was taken at the meeting.

City staff and elected officials framed the issue as a mix of an older plan that required revisions, extensive rain this spring and ongoing field adjustments. Ray Hammons, the city’s special projects coordinator, said the street department ‘‘did an excellent job’’ on paving and curbwork but acknowledged that the project was complex and that ‘‘bugs’’ remained to be worked out. Councilors said the project began in planning in 2023 and that construction started in late 2024; Hedrick and others said altered or outdated design plans contributed to problems on private properties.

Hedrick asked for clearer advance planning and for interim protections; he said he had repeatedly requested sandbags and pictures he sent to the street commissioner received no response. Hedrick also said he had a July 9 meeting with the mayor and city staff about sandbags and relief and thanked them for responding to that request.

City staff told the council an engineer visited after a meeting with Hedrick and that staff and the street commissioner were exploring specific treatments to stop recurring flooding. Councilors recommended staff provide updates and tighter coordination on future phases; one councilor suggested issuing periodic status updates similar to other long-running city projects.

The council noted it previously approved the overall White Avenue project and that, procedurally, no new motion was required to continue work. Staff said the second phase would include revised plans because ‘‘the plan was so old and antiquated’’ that portions had to be reworked, and that unusually heavy spring rains had delayed several public-works projects across town.

Councilors asked staff to follow up with remediation options and to provide an expected schedule when the street commissioner is able to return from medical leave. The council did not adopt new funding or a formal order at the Oct. 6 meeting; staff said future items that require contracting or additional funds will be returned for council approval.

For residents on White Avenue, the immediate concerns are temporary mitigation on private properties, correcting any drain blockages left by construction, and clearer timelines for the next construction phase. City staff and the street commissioner are the point people for follow-up, the council said.