Committee approves $8,500 settlement recommendation for Galena Street sewer‑lateral damage claim

The Judiciary and Legislation Committee recommended approving an $8,500 settlement for a claim by Diane Wilson Greer arising from a sewer backup and lateral damage at 3936 West Galena Street, where the claimant and family members said city street work and a later sewer relay damaged the private lateral.

Greer’s daughter, Charlotte L. Jones, told the committee the city “replaced it from 1 end of the block all the way down” and said the break was “from the sidewalk… between the curb and the street,” arguing the work performed during a city project caused jagged edges and gravel intrusion at the reconnection point. Jones said the family paid multiple plumbers and had to dig down about six feet to repair the lateral and remove sewage from the basement.

Sewer Services Manager Jason Sanders told the committee that crews responded to a backwater call on April 17, examined the main sewer and found it was functioning properly, and advised the homeowner to hire a licensed plumber because the problem appeared to be an internal lateral issue. Sanders said the city televises mains and that private laterals are generally the homeowner’s responsibility; he noted post‑construction CCTV exists for main relays but that private laterals can fail after construction.

Water Works staff added context that the city had completed lead service line replacement and other nearby private‑side work in preceding years but found no record of Water Works activity immediately causing the lateral failure at Greer’s address.

After extended discussion about excavation, contractor testimony and the difficulty of reaching several private plumbers who worked on the repair, committee members offered two options: hold the claim for additional expert testimony or make a settlement offer. The claimant accepted an $8,500 settlement offer, moved by Alderman Autumn Westmoreland and Alderman Mark Chambers; committee members heard no objections and the recommendation will be referred to the full Common Council on June 3, 2025 for final approval.

The committee’s action reflects competing accounts: the claimant’s contractor testimony and photos asserting city construction disturbed the lateral, versus department records and CCTV that the city’s main was functioning and private lateral failures can occur. The settlement resolves the claim at committee level pending council confirmation.