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Councilors debate who should pay for failing private sewer laterals installed before 2006 ordinance
Summary
Councilors questioned whether property owners should bear responsibility for failing private sewer laterals installed before an ordinance adopted in 2006; staff said the city's policy places responsibility with property owners but agreed to search for installation and inspection records for older lines.
During council reports the Mount Pleasant City Council engaged in an extended discussion about the city's policy on maintenance of private sewer laterals and whether owners who received utilities before a 2006 policy should be required to pay for repairs.
A councilor asked: "Where's the city's responsibility on utilities?" and pressed whether the policy should be retroactive for laterals installed before the change in 2006. Staff responded that the maintenance-of-private-sewer-laterals policy (adopted May 23, 2006) states property owners are responsible for maintaining private laterals "from the public sewer main to the building regardless of whether the lateral is within that public street, easement, or on private property." Staff acknowledged record-keeping for older installations is "hit or miss" and offered to search inspection records and contractor cards to determine who installed specific laterals and who inspected them.
Councilors raised fairness concerns for property owners who had no say in original installations and noted tree roots and age can cause failures over time. One councilor argued cases should be reviewed individually, while staff cautioned that doing so would be time-consuming and that the 2006 policy was enacted because the city faced recurring issues where crews were repeatedly called to repair lateral problems and perform landscaping repairs.
The council directed staff to research available installation and inspection records for disputed properties and to return with findings to help the council evaluate whether individual exceptions or policy amendments are warranted. No formal change to the policy was made at the meeting; the discussion ended with staff committing to follow up.
Quote: "Property owners should be responsible for maintaining private sewer laterals from the public sewer main to the building...adopted on 05/23/2006," (staff).
Next steps: staff will search for installation and inspection documentation for older laterals, report back with findings, and identify potential cases for council review.
