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Resident urges city review after third-party water inspection leads to unsolicited homeowner solicitations
Summary
A resident told council a third-party vendor conducting mandated cross-connection inspections obtained homeowner data and followed up with solicitations for water-line protection plans; the mayor said the city will revise contractor communications and review the contract to protect residents' data.
A Trenton resident on Feb. 17 urged the city to investigate whether a private vendor contracted to perform mandated cross-connection inspections shared or sold homeowner contact information after residents reported receiving next-step solicitations.
David Headley told the council that shortly after receiving a city-branded notice about an inspection program he was contacted by the inspection vendor and, within 7 to 10 days, received a separate mailing that appeared to be a solicitation from a company offering home water- and sewer-line protection plans. Headley said the second communication included a diagram and details about his home and that the timing suggested his information had been shared. "I believe that they sold my information," he told the council, and asked the city to have its attorney review the vendor contract to determine whether such data sharing was permitted.
Mayor Rezeppa and staff acknowledged the concern and said the city and contractor had already been contacted about the tone of the initial inspection letter. The mayor said contractors will be asked to use a revised, less-threatening notice and that the city will look ‘‘to protect all of our residents' data because, yeah, that's not something that we need to have getting...filled out there." The mayor added that the inspections are tied to a statewide mandate to be completed over the next five years and that third-party vendors are likely to be involved, but said the city is open to exploring whether in-house inspections are feasible and what certification that would require.
Headley and other commenters also raised access and scheduling concerns, saying weekend appointment slots were limited and that the vendor's phone scripts and scheduling policy were frustrating for working households. The mayor said staff will review the contract language and communications and look for opportunities to better protect resident data and accommodate scheduling needs.
No formal action or vote was recorded; the council directed staff to follow up and review the contract language and resident communications.
