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Two Moorhead residents tell council meter replacements damaged private plumbing; they say contractors were unlicensed
Summary
During public comment on May 12, two Moorhead residents described plumbing damage they say followed Morehead Public Service (MPS) meter replacements. Residents asked the council to press MPS and its contractors for repairs and for clarity on licensing and liability.
Two Moorhead residents told the City Council on May 12 that recent water‑meter replacement work performed by Morehead Public Service (MPS) or its third‑party contractor caused damage to private plumbing and that the contractor used unlicensed workers.
Shane Busby said he had to document issues with video to get MPS to act on his property and criticized the use of unlicensed plumbers entering private homes. “How is the city being allowed to send unlicensed plumbers to touch our plumbing?” Busby asked the council.
Rose Hanson said MPS replaced her meter on April 1 and that she discovered a leaking backflow valve on her tankless water heater after water was turned back on; she said three independent plumbers told her the failure was related to pressure changes after shutoff and that the part is not designed to fail that way. Hanson said the third‑party contractor told her the work did not require a licensed plumber and that the contractor did not leave contact information.
“I was told that it was their standard to not pay for any water shutoff damage,” Hanson said, and she described trying multiple avenues with MPS and contractors to reach a resolution. She told council that MPS’s publicly available guidelines reference adherence to the Minnesota plumbing code but that the on‑site work for her private residence was carried out by the third‑party contractor.
Mayor Shelly Carlson told Hanson the council would forward the information to MPS’s general manager and noted MPS holds public meetings; she gave the date and time of the next MPS meeting for follow‑up. No formal council action was taken during the meeting on these complaints.
