Many homeowners have insurance but most don't realize that insurance often doesn't cover the water and sewer lines buried outside of the home to the point of the utility connection and it can be costly if one of those lines breaks. The Big Rapids City Commission recently approved a marketing agreement with Utility Service Partners Inc. that may help. Residents can expect notification of the program in the near future says City Manager Mark Gifford.

“They generate a letter that then is sent out to residential customers and the customers then can decide whether whether or not they want to sign up.”

The Commission decided on USP after comparing several programs of the same nature. The warranty program offers an around-the-clock hotline and uses local contractors.