Mayor Porter supports Bisbee Citizens who pay their sewer bills

[Frank Z]

The article on the June 18th copy of the Bisbee Observer under "Finance Committee ponders solution to delinquent sewer fees" discusses options for the City to collect on delinquent sewer bills. In the article it is stated that the amount owed is $104,464. One account is $22,180 in arrears. Mayor Porter stood up for the citizens who pay their bills on time and wants something done. As a citizen who pays over $50.00 a month, I want something done as well. Councilmember Ray Rodgers stated "that during the current recession many are struggling just to put food on their tables". HEY Ray!!!! What makes you think that the citizens who pay on time aren't struggling to make that payment? I know it is a chunk of money for me. Does anyone remember the promise from City Hall that the sewer bill would never go over $50.00 a month? Well, that day has come and gone. A huge thank you to Mayor Porter for standing up for the paying citizens and wanting to do something about those deadbeats who aren't paying their bills to the City. Thanks Mayor Porter.

[Mr Polk]

I would like to know who that person or business is that owes the City $22,000.00. And, why in the world would the City allow someone to get that much in arrears? I am with Mayor Porter, the City should shut off their sewer. What do other towns do about this type of situation? Surely Bisbee is not the only town to deal with this.

[FYI]

NAME BALANCE

BABCOCK, JEANNENE 22,179.84
WATKINS, BOBBY & JANET 16,822.26
OLDS TYMERS REST./SALOON, LLC 15,078.36
ROBINSON, JAMES E & JOANN 8,883.39
SERGENT, GREGG 8,637.75
MILTON, JOHN P. 8,608.60
WISE, JOE 8,445.77
EDGERTON, NORMAN & FRANCINE 8,355.96
ROMO, TEODOLO L & AGRIPINA A 8,351.83
BURNETT, STEPHEN 7,982.68
CASILLAS, RICARDO ETUX 7,876.77
DIAZ, CHERYL A 7,766.84
CLAWSON AVE LLC 7,084.93
BENNETT TRUST 6,625.64
HUTSON, LEONARD W. 5,950.08
HODGES, KATHLEEN A. 5,860.85
BEDNORZ, JOHN P. & JUDY L. 5,748.81
DOUGHTY, AMANDA & CRYSTAL 5,689.10
TERAN, ZELDA MONICA 5,617.64
DOUGHTY, AMANDA & CRYSTAL 5,597.12
LUMBIS, CHERYL JONES 5,505.69
DIAZ, MICHAEL ETALS & LYDIA 5,430.41
ENCINAS, HENRY & ANNA MARIE 5,378.59
CRUZ, DOLORES J. 5,291.66
CARPENTER, JAMES Wm. 5,277.14
LOYA, TANYA M 5,055.11
ANDERSON, DAVID W.&PHYLLIS K. 4,965.18
EVANS, CHARLES R II 4,996.28
LOPEZ, ROBERTO R & MARY A 4,716.94
MANZANARES, ALFONSO J. 4,686.73
RUTHERFORD, ALBERT JR & DELIA 4,679.77
HOLCOMBE, SUSAN A 4,575.01
CARR, GUADALUPE (ESTATE OF) 4,496.91
MILLS, RENEE 4,511.02
VOELKER, MARY YOLANDA 4,356.19
GREASON, NELLIE LORRINE 4,342.22
HULL, JAMES B. 4,305.12
FOWLER, SANDEY W. 4,124.32
GARCIA, ALMA E. MARTINEZ 4,112.84
POGGEMEYER, R & SKY JON 4,022.26
VALDIVIA, JAIME S 4,016.26
BAKER, ANNIE B. 3,961.64
RIVERA, CAROL E & JESUS M 3,921.13
ROMERO, JOSE JESUS JR. 3,836.87
COOKE, DAVE 3,769.45
FIGUEROA, ANTONIO A. 3,756.86
BISBEE, BERNADETTE 3,708.85
GOODMAN, ROY 3,703 82
SILVA, RICHARD R. & MARY 3,664.55
GILLETT, AUDREY 3,564.25
KENDRICK, KATHLEEN M. 3,550.46
LANGHAM, MARY M. 3,517.23
BUSTAMANTE, ADELINA 3,438.78
DELEEUW, PETER 3,422.94
BENNETT TRUST 3,396.77
BURNETT, STEPHEN 3,382.19
CRUZ, ANNA LETICIA 3,300.47

I believe the city has a lien on most of these properties but receives nothing until it is sold.
Most towns have the water system also and can shut that off. Bisbee would need to get a crew and backhoe, dig up the street and cap the line to stop service. Then the county would declare the building a health hazard and the residents would need to be evicted.
Tough to throw people out of their homes and into the street. What's the opinion out there?

[Goat with Google]

How many of the people on this list are deceased?

I know that James Hull died a while back.

[Frank Z]

Goat with Google wrote:

How many of the people on this list are deceased?
I know that James Hull died a while back.

I believe James Carpenter died several years ago as well. Thanks for posting the list. The second person owns the Warren Hotel the official "flophouse" of Warren as well as other slum properties. Old Tymers is for sale so maybe the City can get that money back when it is sold? I understand about not being able to kick people out on the street. Digging up the sewer line would be very expensive and not worth the trouble. But, it isn't right for those of us who struggle to pay our monthly sewer bills to let others get away with not paying. A certain favorite person of the Goat gets a reduced rate because he is way below the Federal Poverty level (so he says).

[Lucifers Hammer]

So if James Hull and James Carpenter died, are their heirs & assigns renting out the properties "sewer and garbage paid"?

Anyway, something needs to be done. The question is, what can be done?

[RRO]

We had been using the strategy of putting liens on the properties, and sooner or later, the bills would get paid, even if it might be in ten years or more. Sort of like a reserve fund, with no money in it until someone pays up.

I trust the council to make the right decision, however, ripping out connecting lines to the main wastewater lines and evicting people seems a little draconian to me, where we would bear that expense and possible opening the city up to legal action. I know it's frustrating to those who do pay and needs to be remedied.

I would hope the delinquent bill payers, would come to city hall and tell us what their situation is. Ms. Flanagan is easy to work with.

We do have a two level poverty program to assist those below the federal pverty level with lower payments.

Perhaps, the city should make home to home visits, and find out what each situation is, before action is instituted. There is a lot of poverty in Bisbee, even if it is well hidden. Each delinquent bill payer's situation is unique.

I will trust the judgement of the council on this.

[JWest]

Re: Sewer problem
Do not cut off their sewer.
In the 60's & 70's there was raw sewerage on the hill above the First Baptist Church and elsewhere visible when hiking the hills above Bisbee. Either people had been cut off or had broken sewer lines.
The new sewer is a great blessing. People who
pay their share are patriots.
Shun those who do not pay and let them know you do
not like their behaviour.

[Bart]

JWest wrote:

Re: Sewer problem
Do not cut off their sewer.
In the 60's & 70's there was raw sewerage on the hill above the First Baptist Church and elsewhere visible when hiking the hills above Bisbee. Either people had been cut off or had broken sewer lines.
The new sewer is a great blessing. People who
pay their share are patriots.
Shun those who do not pay and let them know you do
not like their behaviour.

It most likely was broken sewer lines. I don't ever remember people being cut off. However, there were many and still are some who do not have sewer lines. You will find up in Zacatacas Canyon that is the case. I think if people are that blatant about letting their sewer bills run into the thousands of dollars they could care less if people shun them. But, it is an idea.

[Bert]

I saw part of the list of back sewer and garbage bills owed the City, it is 53 pages long. The names shown above is just the first page. These delinquent amounts are over $100,000's plus. All these names should be printed in the paper once a month, liens placed on any bill above $500, and then turned over to a collection agency. If all that doesn't work send in the backhoes.

[In the Know]

Bob and Janet Watkins had an OVER $10,000 sewer and garbage delinquency forgiven by former Mayor Laverne Williams with the stipulation that their bills would be paid on time and such a large bill would never happen again. It looks like that agreement was never enforced.

[In the Know]

Almost $54,000 is owed by just 3 Business owners

[In the Know]

BTW Jeanine Babcock owns the Inn at Castle Rock

[Lucifers Hammer]

The three posts above suggest an obvious answer to at least part of the problem: Action against business licenses. Local responsibility, local control, local enforcement -- why ain't it being done?!?

Just the top three arrearages being collected would give us $50K we don't have now. Who knows, perhaps we could find a use for $50K....

[Venting Mad]

In the Know wrote:

Bob and Janet Watkins had an OVER $10,000 sewer and garbage delinquency forgiven by former Mayor Laverne Williams with the stipulation that their bills would be paid on time and such a large bill would never happen again. It looks like that agreement was never enforced.

How could a Mayor be allowed to do such a thing? How could she show such blatant favoritism? I could see maybe forgiving 500.00 with the promise to pay and a signed agreement; but, even that should never happen. But, 10,000.00? What did those people have on old Laverne to make that generous gift happen? Because it was a gift you know. She should have been forced to step down after an act like that. This is all really unfair to those to find somehow to consistently pay their City bills. This is crap. I was wondering about the other pages myself. The City is obviously too passive in this situation. Yet, they were trying to take 5,000.00 for the BAC. Go after the deadbeats. What is going on here?

[Lucifers Hammer]

My guess is that there's more than a bit of "Don't offend the people who matter. There's more than enough suckers who WILL pay their bill."

Well, guess what? That's no longer true, and it's time we recognized that.

[RRO]

Lucifers Hammer wrote:

My guess is that there's more than a bit of "Don't offend the people who matter. There's more than enough suckers who WILL pay their bill."
Well, guess what? That's no longer true, and it's time we recognized that.

What do you propose?

[RRO]

Venting Mad wrote:

<quoted text>
How could a Mayor be allowed to do such a thing? How could she show such blatant favoritism?

I have a hard time believing that. A mayor does not have that kind of power, and that kind of situation would have to take council action for approval. Perhaps it happened, but I don't know how, with just a mayor approving it. In The Know, perhaps you can explain how that happened since you seem to know all the details, I never heard that before.

[Bernanke]

RRO wrote:

<quoted text>
What do you propose?

Has the ex Mayor or the current Mayor or the Financial Madonna looked into what other Cities and Towns may do in this situation? Has anyone explored the collection agency idea? What about Wage Garnishment? Castle Rock is for sale, maybe the City can get some money if and when it sells; that is, if they put a lien on the Rock. Did the? Instead of the Financial Madonna standing up in front of the Council and Staff whining why doesn't she work out something rather than just liens. The City did take people to Court before for past sewer bills--check it out. Sometime during the 1990s. I am sure Jack Porter would do something active about this situation if the Council and Staff weren't so whimpy. Hey, why are they being so whimpy?

[RRO]

Actaully nothing had been on the books about collecting past due accounts until about 2 and a half years ago, when the council passed the ordinance where we could put liens on properties.

You might check with the Finance Director, however, it seems to me that about 100,000 has been collected over the last couple of years, which put a large dent in the past due accounts, when people realized liens were being implemented.