Politics & Government

Sewer Lateral Insurance Decision Goes to Wentzville Voters Next Year

If approved by voters, the program could add a maximum $28 assessment to homeowners' tax bills and offer the chance for reimbursement in the case of sewer lateral failure.

Sewer lateral insurance is nothing new to the Wentzville Board of Aldermen.

"We talked about this three times in the last two-and-a-half years I've been on the board," Alderman Chris Gard said at Wednesday's board of aldermen work session. "It's like an old friend."

But this time, the board decided that the decision belonged to the voters, not to them. The board directed staff to place the issue on the April 2014 ballot.

City Administrator Mike McDowell explained that sewer laterals, the pipes that connect homes to the main sewer line, can fail for a variety of reasons—age, type of pipe, tree roots and damage among them. Sewer lateral repairs can cost around $5,000 but factors such as the length of the pipe can affect that cost.

Cities in St. Charles County are eligible to offer sewer and water lateral insurance programs to their residents, if it's approved by a majority vote.

If the issue is approved, the city would assess a maximum of $28 per household per year. 

The money would go into a dedicated fund to offer reimbursements to residents for repairs. The city would set policy about maximum reimbursements, amounts of deductibles and application procedures.

"Very few communities pay 100 percent of the cost of repairs," McDowell said.

McDowell said that the majority of homes in Wentzville are 20 years or less in age and that the likelihood of failures is limited, but the program would be used more and more as homes age.

"I don’t hear any demand for this out in the public," Gard said.

Alderman Michael Hays asked if the fund could be used for administration costs of the program, and McDowell confirmed that it could.

"Let's put it to the folks for a vote," Alderman Rick Stokes said.

The board directed staff to look into adding the issue to the April 2014 ballot.


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