Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Water Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ferrelview board votes to bill Ferrelwood MHP after emergency water-valve repair and orders meter locks
Summary
The Village of Ferrelview Board voted 4-0 on Feb. 10, 2026 to bill Ferrelwood MHP for an emergency setter-valve replacement at 207 5th Street Lot 108 after city staff say an unauthorized contractor accessed a meter pit; the board also reviewed an emergency sewer-flushing response and requested meters be locked when services are turned off.
The Village of Ferrelview Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Feb. 10, 2026 to pass charges for an emergency setter-valve replacement at 207 5th Street Lot 108 to Ferrelwood Mobile Home Park after city staff said an unauthorized contractor entered the village meter pit and likely damaged the valve.
City Administrator April Baxter told trustees that a new resident placed a water deposit and a scheduled reading on Jan. 30, 2026 found no water flow from the meter to the home’s master connection. Baxter said a plumber on site reported no flow and that an unknown contractor had winterized the home and entered the meter pit without authorization sometime between Jan. 10 and Jan. 30, 2026. Chief Water Operator Kevin Turley said the meter bottom was broken and the meter pit was dry; Turley said he believed an unauthorized contractor bent the valve while attempting to restore service during freezing conditions.
Turley said the city called Menke Excavating to bring additional personnel for safety; Menke personnel replaced the setter valve on Jan. 31, 2026 and Turley adjusted the meter pit while on site. At the Feb. 10 meeting, Trustee Elizabeth Damm moved to bill Ferrelwood MHP for all charges associated with the emergency repair, Grant Lewton seconded, and the motion carried on a roll-call vote with Elizabeth Damm, Mathew Damm, Shondreka Burney and Grant Lewton voting aye.
The board also discussed a related Feb. 3, 2026 emergency sewer-flushing response after Betsy at Ferrelwood MHP alerted the city at 11:36 a.m. to the sound of running water. Baxter said she contacted two emergency jetting services; Ace Pipe Cleaning arrived at about 1:00 p.m. and Turley reached the site at approximately 1:45 p.m. Turley said he used a four-hour minimum crew charge to jet additional upstream and downstream areas as a precaution.
Baxter told trustees she had issued ordinance violations to Ferrelwood MHP for the use of unlicensed contractors rehabbing a unit and for unauthorized contractors entering village-owned meter pits. Board members requested that village staff lock out meters whenever water services are turned off going forward to prevent unauthorized access.
Why it matters: The board’s action assigns financial responsibility for emergency repair work to the mobile-home park and signals a stricter approach to contractor activity around village-owned infrastructure. Trustees said meter locks and clearer notification procedures between the park and the village will be required to reduce future disruptions.
What’s next: The ordinance violations remain on record and the village will implement meter lockouts when services are shut off. The board’s motion to bill Ferrelwood MHP is the recorded formal action from the Feb. 10 meeting.
