Residents at and near 590 View Avenue told the Rheonale City Council that street runoff is being directed onto private property, causing erosion, fence and foundation damage and recurring sandbagging efforts each winter. After hearing testimony the council voted 3-0 to refer the issue to the city attorney for further review.

Laura Berry told the council the problem has “reached a point where it's causing serious damage” and described erosion, fencing damage and “compromised the foundation of the garage on the house below us at 591 Pacific Avenue.” Berry asked the city to take “meaningful action” rather than routine acknowledgement and suggested a small asphalt berm could redirect flow to an existing storm drain.

Samuel Berry, a 590 View Avenue resident, presented letters from longtime neighbors including one from a former owner, Dario Primafore, who wrote he had lived at 590 View from 1961 to 2017 and that “the water flooding in the yard has been an issue from that time to the present.”

City staff presented a historical review: the house at 590 View was built between 1940 and 1956 (before the city's 1965 incorporation) and two newer houses on the east side were created in 1983 by a lot-line adjustment. Staff said the city currently has no records documenting terms or conditions of the 1983 lot-line approval and that sidewalks in the area likely were built by private contractors at that time. Staff also reported the city clerk found no records of drainage complaints over roughly the last five years.

City staff said these cases can involve complex issues — permit approvals, defect disclosure, assignment of maintenance responsibilities and deferred improvement agreements — and the city attorney's preliminary opinion was that the city had no obligation to pay to fix the problem. Councilmembers said a legal review and additional technical assessment would be useful before any physical work. On a motion to refer the matter to the city attorney for further investigation and possible next steps, the council voted 3-0 in favor.

The council requested the city attorney provide a briefing on responsibility, potential remedies and estimated preliminary costs so the council can consider options at a future meeting.