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Bridgeport council approves raising optional homeowner service-line coverage to $12,000
Summary
The Bridgeport City Council added and approved contract item 11-25, amending an optional homeowner service-line protection plan to increase per-home coverage from $8,500 to $12,000; the program is optional for homeowners, carries monthly premiums (from $5.99), and the city will receive a $30,000 incentive over three years, the council heard.
Council members voted to add and approve a contract (item 11-25) that expands an optional homeowner water/service-line protection program and raises the maximum per-household coverage from $8,500 to $12,000.
Councilwoman Dasha Spell, who moved the suspension to add the contract to the agenda and sponsored the amendment, said the company presenting the plan is “actually out of Philadelphia” and that “what it’s giving the city is $30,000” spread over three years as an incentive. She also said the company will hire local workers when it does repair work.
Councilman Ernie Newton, a member of the contracts committee, described the product to colleagues and emphasized the consumer choice: “If you buy into the service Mhmm. And the water service line plan is only $5.99, and we approved it. They were only going to do 8,500, but they raised it to 12,000,” he said, describing the change that the amendment makes to the contract.
Several council members asked practical questions about who is eligible, what the product covers and how it differs from existing options. Councilwoman Denise Taylor Moy summarized the administration’s explanation: “This is a free service to the city. City is not paying anything to it, period,” she said, adding that enrollment is optional and that homeowners pay the monthly premium.
Council discussion clarified that the presenter told the council the program is intended primarily for single- and two-family homes and that co-ops and condominiums would be handled case-by-case. Council members also raised the benefit that the city would receive $10,000 per year for three years (totaling $30,000) under the contract’s terms.
After debate and procedural motions, the council voted by voice to approve the amendment raising coverage to $12,000 and to approve the contract as amended. The vote was taken by vocal assent; council records show the chair called for “aye” votes and the motion passed.
The program is optional for homeowners; the contract and the amendment specify the coverage amounts, premium tiers and eligibility constraints discussed at the meeting. The council directed that additional public outreach and informational materials (including resident letters and possible town-hall sessions) would be provided so homeowners could evaluate the option.
What happens next: with the council’s approval, the city will finalize contract paperwork and the company will proceed with outreach to eligible homeowners. The council did not authorize city funds for the program; city officials said the program’s administration is paid by purchaser premiums and the contract includes the multi-year incentive to the city.
