Lamplighter residents urge help with flooding as council approves master‑meter ordinance on second reading

Residents from the Lamplighter neighborhood pressed the City Council on Feb. 10 to investigate flooding they say began after Atlantic High School regraded its sports area. Sue Burns, a Lamplighter resident, presented photos and correspondence and asked whether the city’s comprehensive stormwater flow study is the same document as the 2025 master plan cited by staff. Burns told council the flooding has resulted in thousands of dollars in damage for homeowners and asked the city to review the attachments she submitted for the record.

In related public participation, another resident named Lee raised concerns about a community cat program, saying stray cats dropped from outside the city have caused property damage and asked staff to revise the program rules.

Separately, council conducted the second reading of Ordinance No. 2026‑1, an amendment that requires a deposit for master‑meter installation and establishes a master‑meter requirement and billing method for campgrounds, recreational parks, motels, hotels, mobile‑home parks and multifamily accounts. During the hearing Lamplighter residents said they had not been given clear cost estimates and that a private utility (Sun Communities) and the city provided conflicting accounts of who owns, maintains and bills meters. A resident said Sun refused to share cost data and that residents feared loss of a direct billing relationship.

Staff and the city attorney responded that master meters typically mark the point where city service ends and private infrastructure begins, that many park meters are private infrastructure, and that the ordinance clarifies billing and maintenance responsibilities without putting the city into private infrastructure. After limited council discussion the ordinance passed on second reading by roll call, 4–1 (Vice Mayor Durops voted no). Council asked clerk staff to include resident correspondence in the public record so concerns and cost estimates are documented.

Why it matters: The ordinance changes administrative requirements for master meters and could alter how water service and billing are handled at multi‑unit properties; residents say the change may shift costs or billing arrangements they previously understood. Members of the public asked for clearer cost estimates and proof of who owns equipment before changes are finalized.

What’s next: Staff said existing relationships with the school district and property owners will be used to follow up on the Lamplighter flooding report; the clerk was asked to include resident correspondence in the meeting record. The ordinance will proceed as adopted unless later modified by future council action.