Council presses staff over lightning-damaged well, insurance follow-up

Caro City Council spent the longest portion of its July 20 meeting debating the aftermath of a June 23 lightning strike that damaged a municipal well pump and prompted emergency repairs.

Mayor (speaker 1) said residents have expressed alarm and criticized the pace of staff follow-up after the damage. "When I got in the shower... it smelled like pure chlor chlorine," the mayor said, recounting an attorney's complaint to the council. City manager (speaker 2) said the pump was replaced under the city's emergency-purchase authority and an insurance claim was filed: "It was submitted to the insurance company," the manager said, adding that staff are still assembling contractor cost breakdowns the insurer has requested.

Council members pressed staff for specifics, including whether vendors such as Peerless and SCADA providers have delivered the invoices and labor breakdowns needed by the Mutual Municipal Risk Management Authority (MMRMA). "If they're dragging their feet, I will happily see if I can undrag their feet," the manager said, referring to his intent to escalate vendor response.

Staff also discussed technical follow-up. The manager raised a vendor recommendation to install flow switches and to review the SCADA telemetry that failed to alert staff when the motor ran; he said those recommendations will be investigated and analyzed for cost and effectiveness before any purchasing decision. He also said the replacement was treated as an emergency that is likely to be covered by insurance, but that insurer review is ongoing and reimbursement is not yet confirmed.

Council members pushed for clearer and faster resident communication and asked staff to prioritize obtaining the breakdowns MMRMA requires. The council did not take a formal vote on further action; the manager said he would pursue the vendor documentation and follow up with the clerk and risk-management staff.