The O’Fallon City Council on Thursday night voted to put on the April 7 ballot a proposed insurance program that would protect homeowners from having to pay big bills for repairing sewer lateral lines between their homes and sewer mains.

The 7-1 vote to put the issue on the ballot came after the council amended the ballot proposal to reduce the maximum annual fee residents would pay to $30 from $50. Earlier this year the council had rejected putting the $50-fee proposal before voters.

If voters pass the ballot issue, the council would then have to pass an ordinance actually setting up the insurance program and deciding how much the fee should be.  The council at that time also would determine how much of a sewer lateral repair would be covered by the city.

Sewer lateral insurance fees typically are tacked on to homeowners’ property tax bills.

The council on Thursday also put on the April ballot 27 separate proposed annexations. Each proposal would have to be approved both by voters citywide and by voters in the area proposed for annexation.