Minneapolis exploring how to make sewer line repairs less crappy
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Minneapolis officials are pondering new ways to help homeowners deal with broken sewer lines.
Why it matters: Property owners are responsible for the full length of the sewer lines that connect their house to the street. In Minneapolis, the average cost to repair a leak or break has soared over $10,000 in recent years.
Driving the news: City Council Member Emily Koski formally asked staff to report back on new sewer line repair programs that could use city assistance.
Catch up quick: Minneapolis already offers essentially low-interest loans to homeowners, who can repay the city for a private sewer repair through an assessment on their property tax bill. (St. Paul has a similar program, as do many other cities.)
- Yes, but: Minneapolis' application process can be "pretty cumbersome," Koski told Axios, requiring homeowners to solicit three bids from city-approved vendors while potentially in the midst of a sewer emergency.
- The Met Council offers grant funding for repairs, but the funds often go quickly.
What they're saying: "The demand is far greater than the programs that we have right now," Koski said. "With aging infrastructure, this is not going away. So how do we continue to help?"
Between the lines: Koski is running in a growing field of challengers to incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey.
Zoom in: Koski noted cities like Detroit and Las Vegas have endorsed private warranty policies that cover homeowners' sewer lines for a few dollars a month.
- Edina already has such a partnership. The city receives a nominal fee for every sewer warranty sold.
Friction point: Koski is leaving it to staff to research the alternatives, but indicated she wasn't interested in having the city pay the full cost of sewer line replacements.
- One 2023 estimate concluded that a new city-run grant program could raise monthly water bills by at least 16%.