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Residents press council on sewer lateral policy and allege staff insult
Summary
Residents at the April 8 Olivette City Council meeting raised questions about the city's sewer lateral reimbursement policy, its March 2023 increase to a $6,000 cap and an additional $3,000 for exceptionally difficult properties, and reported an alleged derogatory remark by a city staff member in a customer conversation.
Wilhelmina Shackleford, a trustee and resident of the Indian Metal subdivision, told the Olivette City Council on April 8 that a neighbor was told the city's sewer lateral program had a $6,000 cap and that a staff member called her a "monkey" during a follow-up call about 1262 Kiowa.
The complaint matters because the council revised its sewer lateral policy in 2023 to raise the city reimbursement cap and to change how payments are made. City Manager Jennifer Jackley told Shackleford that she could not discuss personnel actions in public but said, "action was taken on Tuesday morning." Jackley and Mayor Waldman also said they had been informed of the complaint and that the city would follow up.
The council's 2023 change, cited in public comments, set a $6,000 cap for typical sewer lateral repairs and provided an additional $3,000 for properties deemed "exceptionally difficult." Under the revised process described at the meeting, the city arranges and pays contractors directly rather than reimbursing homeowners who pay up front. Several residents said they had paid out of pocket for earlier repairs before the policy change.
Shackleford described the conversation with staff member Bruce McGregor, saying the staffer told her the program was capped at $6,000 and later told her to "stay out of it" when she pressed for equal treatment for another homeowner. She said of the exchange, "he called me a monkey," and pressed the council to ensure the same treatment for homeowners in similar circumstances.
Other residents who spoke at the meeting described having paid upfront for cabling or camera inspection in 2022 and early 2023 and asked whether the city would provide similar help now. City staff explained the usual practice: after a problem is cabled and scoped, the city selects a contractor and pays up to the cap; if the work exceeds the cap the homeowner may be responsible for the difference, though staff said they aim to stage work or scope projects to limit out-of-pocket costs for most homeowners.
The meeting record identifies an ordinance number mentioned by a speaker in relation to the 2023 change (Ordinance 2771) but no new action on the sewer lateral program was taken at the April 8 meeting.
Shackleford also said the issue had a racial component in how she perceived the city's response. The mayor and city manager acknowledged the seriousness of that claim and said follow-up would occur through the city manager's office.
The council did not vote on changes to the lateral policy at this meeting; residents were directed to provide contact information for follow-up and to continue working with city staff to resolve individual cases.
