What Is the Mayors Challenge?

The Mayors Challenge uplifts municipal governments that approach complex public service challenges with creativity, discipline, and collaboration. Now in its sixth cycle, the competition focuses on practical solutions — ideas that are not only bold, but realistic and capable of measurable impact.

Cities across the world submitted proposals addressing housing, infrastructure, environmental pressures, and social inclusion. What unites the finalists is a shared commitment to delivering results with limited resources and real-world constraints.

Learn more about the 2025 challenge here.

Our Problem: Aging Private Sewer Infrastructure

In older neighborhoods, damaged and aging private sewer laterals allow stormwater to infiltrate the public sewer system. While these pipes are privately owned, their deterioration creates widespread public consequences.

When excess stormwater enters the system, it overwhelms treatment facilities, accelerates infrastructure wear, and reduces available capacity. Over time, this limits the city’s ability to support new development near its core.

It is a largely invisible issue that has very visible impacts on growth and opportunity.

Our Proposed Solution

Lafayette’s proposal is to identify and repair damaged private sewer laterals at no cost to property owners, fixing problems that will have a positive impact for the public at large.

By addressing the problem at its source, the city can reduce strain on public infrastructure, delay the need for costly expansions, and create additional capacity within the existing system. This program will result in stronger infrastructure and the ability to unlock thousands of new development opportunities across the city of Lafayette.

This approach reflects Lafayette’s broader commitment to practical, collaborative problem-solving — solutions that improve quality of life while maximizing limited public resources.

Our Next Step: Turning $1M into Action

Lafayette will work with dedicated coaching from Bloomberg Philanthropies over the next two years and hire city staff to administer the program. Using a data-informed prioritization matrix, the team will target sewer repairs that have the greatest impact on unlocking development. The city will continue prototyping the approach, engaging residents and neighborhoods, and begin making improvements to private sewer lines before the end of 2026, continuing into 2027.