The Rowlett City Council discussed emergency sewer repairs and heard public appeals for accountability on July 1 after a significant sewer failure on Liberty Grove Road that has required pumps and traffic controls.

City officials said a contractor is on site replacing failing infrastructure and pumps have been deployed to divert flow and reduce further damage. The council later convened in a closed executive session under Texas Government Code section 551.071 “to receive legal advice regarding legal issues arising from or related to the June sewer collapse,” and returned with no action taken.

Council attention rose after family members and a facility owner described a sudden loss of water and sewage service at the Beehive memory-care facility and urged the city to accept responsibility. Wannithia Brewster, who identified herself as representing the Beehive’s interests, said the city had told the facility it was immune under the Texas Tort Claims Act but disputed that legal interpretation. “The Tort Claims Act does not apply to proprietary functions,” Brewster said, referencing “section 101.0215 of the Texas Civil Practices and Remedies Code.” She told council that when she arrived, “it was already over 3 hours before Beehive got any phone call from anyone in the city to notify them” about sewage entering the building.

Kathy Stallings, a family member of a resident displaced by the closure of the Beehive, described the disruption and emotional toll from an abrupt evacuation. “It left us grieving not only for what dementia takes from us each day, but for the home and comfort we had thought we had found,” Stallings said during public comment.

City staff earlier announced a community information session on the Liberty Grove sewer repair for 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 8, at the Waterview Golf Course Community Room. In the council’s summary of department updates, public works staff said the Liberty Grove Road failure has created “more than 1 sinkhole,” that pumps are diverting flow and that the repair contractor is on location to replace failing infrastructure as quickly as possible. The council publicly noted the ongoing nature of repairs and that traffic in the area is being affected.

Mayor Jeff Winget read the meeting’s executive-session notice and later reported the council concluded the closed session at 8:56 p.m. with no action taken. Council members did not announce follow-up directives at the meeting; a city official asked Brewster to provide her legal notes by email to citycouncil@rowlett.com so the council and staff could review her citations and materials.

The council’s formal consultation with attorneys, the on-site repairs, and multiple public comments together signaled the issue remains active. The city’s next steps include the July 8 public information session; the council did not record any votes related to liability or compensation during the open meeting.

Residents seeking more information were directed to the July 8 community meeting and to email citycouncil@rowlett.com with documents referenced during public comment.