By Rebecca Dopp
Times-News Correspondent
Levan Town has decided that they
will go back to the old way of dealing with utilities,
mainly, that if utilities are not paid, then the town will
shut off power until they are paid in full including
reconnect fees and interest.
Ordinance #02-08-06 says that
before utilities can be furnished to a property, the
property owner or authorized agent must submit a written
application signed by the owner or the agent agreeing to pay
for all utilities furnished whether occupied by the owner or
by a tenant or other occupant.
It also says that if the owner
fails to pay for the utilities furnished, provided to the
owner's property, the Town will discontinue services until
all amounts for utilities are paid.
Mayor Bob Shepherd explained that
before he came onto the council about four years ago, there
was a big deposit required, to recover a 2 1/2 month loss if
need be, and the ordinance said that if the renter paid
their utilities, on time, for a year, then they would get
that deposit back. After he came onto the council, there
were several renters who were more than two months behind
(about $20,000 worth of unpaid utilities altogether) and
after receiving notices had moved out in the middle of the
night. The town was stuck with the unpaid bills.
He said they had a meeting with
area renters and discussed having a non-refundable deposit,
but that made a big bookkeeping problem with the town clerk
and secretary. He said that that was one of the reasons they
were reverting to the old ordinance and making the property
owner responsible.
Dave Carter, resident, voiced his
concern with making the owner responsible for their tenants
unpaid bills. He felt it was unfair.
Shepherd said they would do all
they could to collect from the renters before turning off
the power. He said that the property owner would be
notified, by letter, when the utilities were behind one
month so the problem could be rectified before it got out of
hand.
Another option the council
suggested was to have the owner receive the bill directly
and pay it and recoup the difference in rent money. They
said several property owners were going this route. Also, if
the owner had to pay the unpaid bills they could take the
offender to court and recover their losses.
The council felt that going back
to the old ordinance was in the best interest of the town.
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