Sewer Fee Hike Proposal Gets Flushed

A controversial proposal to have Healdsburg residents take responsibility for larger sections of sewer lines has been unanimously dumped.

Homeowners won't have to maintain sewer lines that run under public property, according to a Press Democrat report about Monday evening's Healdsburg City Council meeting.

The failed proposal involved having residents pay for the upkeep of entire waste laterals from their homes to the main sewer line.

It would have put the cost of repairing any sewer overflow, whether reported to the City Public Works or to a private contractor for repair, onto the homeowner. That would have run about $300 for a video survey of the sewer line, plus a $79 fee to the city for a video review. (See this article for more information and an actual sewer video.)

Instead, the city council decided Monday to keep things as is. That means honoring the 1984 statue covering lateral responsibility, which requires residents to manage their sewer lines to the clean-out box, if there is one. That represents an agreement between homeowner and the city, according to the statute.

"If it's in the street, it's the city's problem," Councilman Tom Chambers previously told Patch.

The issue was complicated by a lawsuit River Watch won against the city. It was discussed at length at a City Council meeting in late February. Read more about it here.