HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/5/2026 Item 7g, Delmartini
Steve Delmartini <
To:E-mail Council Website; Francis, Emily; Shoresman, Michelle; Boswell, Mike; Stewart,
Erica A; Marx, Jan
Subject:City council meeting May 5, 2026 Item #7.g Sewer Lateral Replacement
Honorable Mayor and Council Members
I was really disappointed in the outcome of the meeting on April 21, 2026. Not so much that the point of
sale inspections may now lead to a lateral replacement upon sale but more so, that as a member of this
community you really are doing nothing to address the ongoing problem of cleaning, millions of gallons
of clean water and the ongoing inflow of water into our system. This is a problem that has been going on
for many years and if moved on, will continue for many more years.
I believe the current program for the inspection upon sale has been in effect since 2019. As reported at
the meeting on the 21st, there have been 369 poor/failed systems which I believe equaled about 30% of
all the laterals inspected. So, over the last (approx.) six years you are finding about 60 bad laterals per
year in the city. If that trend continues, then replacing 60+/- laterals per year, in my opinion, doesn't really
make a dent in the inflow to the city system as I believe there are about 4,500 properties that have not
had the lateral inspected. Plus, you are adding new properties everyday that may have poor/failed
laterals as they fall out of the 20 years exempt status and now need to be evaluated upon sale, if in fact,
they sell. By the end of this year I believe you will have about 400 properties under the current program
with poor/failed systems that have no requirement for replacement. I think the average property owner is
now holding their homes for about 15 years+/- vs. some time ago it was more in the 5-7 year range. Those
with 2-3% interest rates probably will not be selling in the near future.
I really don't think you are doing what's in the best interest of the city, if in fact, that's what you are
supposed to be doing. Kicking this problem down the road by doing the very minimum is not a solution.
I urge you to reconsider going directly to those properties in the newly mapped "constrained" areas and
have those property owners have their laterals inspected and move forward in some fashion to start to
get them replaced. One of the concerns that came up on this subject was that it could create financial
hardship. Please keep in mind that these people own a home, there are many potential buyers that jump
through financial hoops everyday that are just trying to get their foot in the door. If you need to carve out
some sort of "financial hardship" for a few homeowners then give them five years to replace the lateral or
some better, creative solution. I think there are property owners in these mapped areas that have the
ability to replace their laterals, albeit they might not want to do it.
Unfortunately, the way our system is set up there is no real dialogue with the council other than the usual
way of going through staff. This was probably a good candidate for a town hall meeting of some kind so
there could be some constructive conversation. Some of the conversation with staff doesn't get into the
staff report, or it's lightly touched on when it may need to carry more importance. So you end up at the
council meeting, frustrated and trying to relay concerns in a three minute sound bite with no ability to
comment any further.
than you for your time and consideration.
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Steve Delmartini
Broker Associate
DRE#: 00601891
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
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