Essay
Model Legislature Bill SF #3672
My bill deals with a statutory city having to pay insurance or provide self insurance to pay for minimum $100,000 dollars per claim in property damage caused by the failure of a city-owned water, storm, or sanitary sewer line. This also includes the failure of related equipment and also any accidents in the installation of the line or equipment. This bill is a good idea because the fault of the city-owned equipment malfunctioning is not on the owner of the property but on the owner of the equipment.
It is important to pass to make sure that the public doesn’t have to pay for malfunctions of the city’s equipment. The property damage that most often causes issues is sewer lines. Cities usually don’t take the blame for these problems unless serious negligence is shown. Home-owners insurance denies their claim and they are forced to pay the bill.
Unfortunately for Minnesota residents it is very common for cities in this state to have problems with their water pipes. Just last year $122 million dollars were spent on water projects with an estimated $11 billion over the next 20 years. Minnesota residents are typically part of the heavy local funding that goes on when these big projects arise.
In opposition of this bill, the residents of these houses with clogged pipes could be to blame. Although sometimes it is the pipe's age that is deteriorating them and causing property damage to residents, sometimes it is the residents that aren’t taking care of them properly. Common mistakes are throwing the wrong things down your garbage disposal and clogged shower, sink, and toilet drains. This just requires cleaning more often.