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Board pauses water‑meter mandate after floor debate; bill moved to informal calendar
Summary
A proposal to require meters on certain new and significantly rehabilitated water service connections drew extended questioning over costs, relief for tornado‑impacted and low‑income residents, and director discretion; sponsor asked to return the measure to the informal calendar for revisions.
A proposed ordinance to require water meters on certain service connections in St. Louis was sent back to the informal calendar after extended floor debate about implementation details, costs to residents and whether relief for tornado‑impacted neighborhoods should be codified.
The alderman from the 5th, sponsor of Board Bill 28, said the measure is a limited step toward metered water—applying prospectively to new service connections and certain existing connections that require major rehabilitation or service-line replacement. He moved Amendment No. 1 on the floor to set an effective date of Nov. 1, 2026; the amendment passed and discussion continued.
Colleagues pressed the sponsor for specifics about who would pay meter installation costs, whether low‑income residents or homeowners rebuilding after the recent tornado would be carved out, and what statutory or administrative relief would look like. The alderman from the 14th and the alderwoman from the 12th raised particular concern that the bill delegates unspecified relief to water-division policy rather than spelling out eligibility and relief amounts in ordinance text.
The sponsor said the water division would purchase meters and that the ordinance limits installations to instances where plumbing permitting or major service-line work occurs; he said many installation costs (trench digging, labor, trench repair) are costs the homeowner would otherwise incur for service-line replacement. He said the division would have authority to craft policy and case-by-case relief and expressed willingness to consider narrowly tailored carve-outs for disaster-affected homeowners.
After amendments and further drafting were offered from the floor, the sponsor requested that Board Bill 28 as amended be placed on the informal calendar for additional work; the clerk noted the placement.
Ending: The bill will be redrafted or amended off the formal calendar and return later for further consideration.
