To All Concerned Members,
We appreciate your feedback and comments pertaining to the very serious issue of sewer service lines here in Little Rock.
As a Sanitary Sewer Committee member, I take every issue to pertaining to wastewater infrastructure seriously. The fact is, Little Rock Wastewater (LRW) was asked by the Mayor and the Little Rock Board of Directors to conduct a study, where one facet of the study was the formation of a group of residents in order to provide public input. One of the issues that the group picked up on was the poor condition of sewer service lines in Little Rock. As a group, without pressure or suggestion from the Sanitary Sewer Committee or LRW, they concurred that Little Rock Wastewater needed to take steps in the direction of correcting sewer service line issues. Through numerous discussions and meetings, it was decided by the group that the issue of faulty sewer service lines should be addressed when a home is sold.
Following their recommendations, the Sanitary Sewer Commission advised Little Rock Wastewater to further confirm the findings. Currently, Little Rock Wastewater is in the field doing additional testing as well as a pilot study program involving residents who volunteer to have their sewer service line checked. Right now, the study has revealed a 60% failure rate in the structural integrity of sewer service lines.
Once those findings and other final data are available, Little Rock Wastewater will conduct a public review process prior to any action taken at the Sanitary Sewer Commission.
We appreciate your interest and if you have any other ideas or solutions, please let us know. We assure you the process will continue to be a public one.
Thank you
Marilyn Perryman
October 1, 2009
Dear Little Rock REALTORS® Association Members,
Your Legislative Affairs Committee is sending you a CALL TO ACTION…………..As you may be aware the Little Rock Waste Water Utility is considering a proposal that would delay closing and increase costs of closing by requiring a mandatory camera inspection and certification of compliance (no leakage or seepage) of all sewage lines on a property before the property can go to closing. This means closing costs could increase from $ 650.00 to the cost of replacing a sewer line which could run into the thousands of dollars. See “what they want” below for more details.
We are asking you to contact the Committee Members and let them know that you want to make sure the following questions have been thoroughly considered before they make a decision on this Ordinance.
QUESTIONS:
1) Where has the public been involved in this process? Has this been an open discussion or has it only been designed and planned by an in-house task force within the Utility.
2) Did the Rate Advisory Committee discuss any alternatives? There have been no other alternatives proposed to the citizens of Little Rock or fully researched by Utility staff.
3) What will be the full impact of this proposed policy?
List of Members of Sewer Committee
Cindy Miller, Chair of the Committee (501) 664-9220
2512 N. Taylor
Little Rock, AR 72207
Ken Griffey, Vice Chair of the Committee
Griffey Agency Inc (501) 225-6177
www.dgattractions.com (501) 765-1423
1209 Wild Turkey Ct
Little Rock, AR 72211-2451
Marilyn Perryman, CPM, Sec. of the Committee
Irwin Saviers Ballard 501-224-1200 Telephone
10809 Executive Center Drive, Suite 111 501-224-8173 Facsimile
Little Rock, AR 72211
mkperryman@isbmanagement.com
Brad Cazort (Ex-Officio)
(Little Rock City Board of Directors) (501) 223-2850
8200 Alvin Lane
Little Rock, AR 72227
board@littlerock.org
If you want to send your email expressing your concern about the proposal directly to the Utility, the Little Rock Waste Water Utility email is communications@lrwu.com .
Here is a short email that you can send or use for the basis of your email.
As a REALTOR® and property owner in Little Rock, I am concerned that the solution to leaking service lines has not been fully researched. Because of this I cannot say that the best answer is the one requiring line inspections before a property can change hands. Please hold off on voting on this issue until additional input can be gained allowing you to make sure this is the best decision, or finding a better one, for our community.
If you would like additional info, please continue reading below:
The Sewer Utility created a Rate Advisory Committee in the Fall of 2007 that presented general findings in the Fall of 2008. An Internal Task Force (Fall 2009) picked up this issue of service line impact on the system and designed a program to systematically replace the service lines that the task force is going present to the Sewer Board for approval and advancement to the Little Rock Board of Directors. LRRA has been monitoring this internal task force and expected there to be more public input before a policy was recommended to the Sewer Committee. We asked and had hoped to be a part of this public task force, so that we could review all possible answers and present another option if appropriate that would not significantly impact individual sellers and buyers. Apparently it is expected to go before the Sewer Committee this month with hopes by the staff that it would go before the Little Rock Board of Directors without any recent input or consideration from the citizens and businesses that it will affect.
We need you our REALTOR® members to communicate with those members of this city committee the Sewer Committee listed below and ask them these questions. If nothing else please let them and your City Director know that you think this decision is being rushed and needs more public consideration. We also like you to attend the Utility meeting that will be held Wednesday October 21 at 4:00 pm. The location is Little Rock Wastewater Utility Offices 11 Clearwater Drive in Little Rock. This will affect you both personally and professionally. Please respond to this call for action immediately, so we can at least have our voice heard.
Rate Advisory Committee Recommendation:
The RAC recommends that LRW and the City of Little Rock implement measures to reduce the
amount of infiltration, inflow, and raw sewage exfiltration in service lines throughout the City
along the following parameters:
A.) Before the closing of a sale of any property, the property owner will be required to have a
clearance statement or letter from LRW that all service lines are in good condition. All
service lines must be inspected by LRW or by a plumbing company approved by LRW.
Should the service line be deemed in need of repair or replacement, these improvements
must be completed and approved by LRW prior to closing on the sale.
B.) Any property owner who has replaced the service line to the property within the previous
five years, or any property that is five years old or less will be exempt from the inspection
requirement. The owner will be required to provide proof of inspection date or age of
sewer lines or home to LRW. A fee structure will be developed for these services.
C.) All sewer service lines, including lines serving residential, multi-residential, and
commercial units, connected to a Little Rock Sanitary Sewer service line will be cleaned
and tested when the following occurs:
1. Remodeling of a house, building, or property served.
2. Installation of additional toilet facilities in a house, building, or property served.
3. Change of use of a house, building, or property served from residential to business or
commercial, or from non-restaurant commercial to restaurant commercial.
4. Upon repair or replacement of all or part of the sewer service line.
5. Upon addition to structures of living quarters, such as guest cabins on the property
served or plumbing of garages into living quarters.
6. Prior to close of escrow upon the sale of a house, building, or property served or, by
private transfer of a house, building, or property served, unless the house, building, or
property served has been tested within five years.
What this means is that:
· Before you can sell your home, or any property, or a client can close on their property, the new ordinance will require an inspection of the property’s sewer service line by a certified inspector, which would include signing a form releasing the city, utility, and inspector from any damage, liability or harm caused to your property, existing water pipes, gas lines, landscaping, structures, etc. We have heard of one trial inspection where the inspector damaged the water line to the home. The owner will have to pay for repairs to their own property made by those inspecting the lines as required by this ordinance.
· You will not be allowed to close until you have a licensed and certified plumber camera inspect your service line. The cost of this inspection can range from $400.00 to $1,000.00. At this time, this is for every sale no matter the price or ability to pay (or get a loan, or income level). The only properties being excluded are those that have service lines that were put in place in the last 10 years.
· If “leaking” lines are found, before you can close the transaction, you will be required to make any repairs to , or replace, your sewer pipes at a cost ranging from $500.00 to thousands of dollars depending on the property.
· The theory is that the Seller would take this out of sales proceeds, or the Seller would have to borrow the money to make the repairs, or the Buyer would just have to borrow additional money to make the repairs. Somehow this happens before they can close on the property. Can every owner in the city afford to do this, especially in this economy?
Additional Issues:
Has there been a public forum? Will there any public input before it goes to the City Board?
Who is responsible for damage done when testing is done? Is there going to be an appeal option? To Whom?
When does this go into effect? What about properties already under contract?
How long will it take to implement?
Who will do the work?
How does NLR or other cities deal with this issue?
What if the lines leak and run under a structure?
Will you have to rerun your entire sewage line because of a leak in one spot?
What if a citizen cannot pay to have the repairs made? Does this shut down the sale of the home or property? What happens to the REALTOR® that has worked so hard to market and sell the property?
What about Commercial buildings where pipes run under parking lots, light poles, etc?
What about Apartment complexes?
Below is a list of the committee members and their contact information. Please take a moment and let them know that you are concerned about this policy and it impact. Let them know if you want them to look deeper for an answer on this issue. Even something as simple as the following will let the Committee know you are paying attention to this issue.
As a REALTOR® and property owner in Little Rock, I am concerned that the solution to leaking service lines has not been fully researched. Because of this I cannot say that the best answer is the one requiring line inspections before a property can change hands. Please hold off on voting on this issue until additional input can be gained allowing you to make sure this is the best decision, or finding a better one, for our community.
List of Members of Sewer Committee
Cindy Miller, Chair of the Committee (501) 664-9220
2512 N. Taylor
Little Rock, AR 72207
Ken Griffey, Vice Chair of the Committee
Griffey Agency Inc (501) 225-6177
www.dgattractions.com (501) 765-1423
1209 Wild Turkey Ct
Little Rock, AR 72211-2451
Marilyn Perryman, CPM, Sec. of the Committee
Irwin Saviers Ballard 501-224-1200 Telephone
10809 Executive Center Drive, Suite 111 501-224-8173 Facsimile
Little Rock, AR 72211
mkperryman@isbmanagement.com
Brad Cazort (Ex-Officio)
(Little Rock City Board of Directors) (501) 223-2850
8200 Alvin Lane
Little Rock, AR 72227
board@littlerock.org
Go to www.lrraa.com for a copy of the Rate Advisory Committee final report
MEETING Scheduled for October 21, 2009
Third Wednesday of Each Month
Little Rock Wastewater Utility Offices
11 Clearwater Drive
4:00 PM
Libby Sheard
Little Rock Realtors Association
300 Natural Resources Drive
Little Rock, AR 72205
501-225-1987 (O)
501-225-6256 (F)
(501) 9515131 (C)
lbsheard@sbcglobal.net
www.lrra.com
All REALTORS regardless of their area of expertise must take a minimum of 2.5 hours of REALTOR ethics training by 31 December 2012.