Residents report sewage backups and apartment maintenance failures; council refers backflow and enforcement policy to committees

Multiple renters and residents told the Southfield City Council on March 17 that apartment sewage backups and chronic maintenance problems are affecting tenants’ health and safety, and they urged the city to compel better owner compliance and enforcement.

Stacy Jackson, who identified herself as a Southfield resident, told the council there had been prior public testimony about sewer backups (including raw sewage) and said she was alarmed that the city had not held some large multifamily property owners accountable after years of noncompliance. “Shutting off a resident’s water is not an option,” Jackson said, stressing the potential public-health consequences if enforcement relies on water shutoffs.

Several other speakers described similar concerns. Keith Harris said tenants had experienced raw sewage backing up into kitchens and bathrooms and that renters face large bills and poor living conditions. Alicia Clabon raised a separate complaint about a deteriorated fence at the Webster and Peers intersection and cited a code reference she said applied (she referenced “Code 4 34”).

Council response and next steps: Council President (presiding) and the city administrator told residents that the city does not currently shut off water in multifamily-residential enforcement cases and that the Neighborhood Services Subcommittee will review policy options with the Department of Public Works and the building department. The city administrator advised renters with unaddressed in-unit sewage or habitability issues to contact the Building Department at (248) 796-4100 so staff can perform an inspection and require repairs if code violations are found.

City administrator’s summary (paraphrased from the meeting): the building department conducts routine inspections for homes and apartments, and it will step in when landlords fail to address sewage or other health and safety issues. The administration acknowledged that backflow-preventer requirements are relatively new and enforcing compliance in multifamily properties nationwide is challenging; many jurisdictions respond to noncompliance by shutting off water, but Southfield’s approach is to seek other remedies because water shutoffs would affect many residents.

Why it matters: Several speakers described raw sewage and unsanitary conditions that, if verified, pose health and habitability concerns for tenants and could require legal or enforcement action by the city. Council members and the administrator said they will review enforcement tools, consider a “heavier hammer” for noncompliant property owners and ask staff and committees to develop options.

Resources and contacts mentioned at the meeting: - Southfield Building Department inspections and code complaints: (248) 796-4100 (as noted by the city administrator)

Provenance: public comments describing sewage backups began with a resident statement about apartment water and backup problems; the city administrator’s procedural response and referral of enforcement review to committee occurred later in the meeting when staff and administration responded.