DAYTON - In Waitsburg and many other cities in Washington State, homeowners are responsible for any trouble in the sewer line between their home and the sewer main. When the line gets blocked and needs to be dug up, residents are required to hire a contractor or pay the city to do the work.

Not so in Dayton, at least not until the city passes a proposed new ordinance that takes away the current "gray" area in the law still holding the city for repairs in the city right of way.

The Dayton City Council on Monday passed the first three readings of an amendment to its municipal code that changes t...