west chicago water bill lawsuit
(Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune) A man who was sent a $5,347 water bill in Homewood is suing the south suburban village . A billing error turned Sylvia Taylors life upsidedown. Chicago, south suburban Harvey battle over water bills. Periodically the Department of Water Management is unable to obtain an actual meter reading. If that tree right there could talk, thats why you see I got a picture on it. I have to havewater.. Water debt can help diminish the value of a home, keeping it from being well-maintained, sold or generating any wealth for relatives who inherit the property. Why would you penalize people for water? Over the summer, as WBEZ investigated statutory liens imposed to collect water debt, the city sent Taylor a notice she didnt recognize. If you still dispute your bill, you must contact Utility Billing & Customer Service at 312.744.4426 or send an email toutilitybill@cityofchicago.orgto discuss billing issues. She was desperate and contacted the mayors office asking for help restoring her water. Its not like this is a choice, Padgett said, holding back tears. Neither the village nor an attorney for Otubusin could be reached Wednesday night for comment. Our lives changed completely, the 59-year-old Pilsen resident said in Spanish. Follow her @mizamudio, Be sure to indicate your name, document #, property address, and phone number and how you would like the document returned on the cover letter so someone can call you back if there are any questions. Use our online system to pay your utility bill now by clicking on the button below. The City has a utility payment drop box for CITY UTILITY BILLS. have up to 21 days to file a motion to set aside the defaultjudgements. Manuel Martinez is a visual journalist at WBEZ. To obtain a Payoff Letter or a Lien Release please fax your request to 312.747.6894 or email your request to utilitybill@cityofchicago.org. During the budget hearing process, the city made permanent a pilot program the Lightfoot administration launched last year to help low-income homeowners struggling with water debt. To avoid water service termination, you must contact DWM at 312.747.9090 to schedule a reading of your meter within 10 days of the date on the notice. / CBS Chicago. block. Chicago homeowners have racked up over $421 million dollars in water debt. Many weren't even aware what they owe. You may download a Refund Application. "It breaks my heart to come here. In-Person Payments If approved, it may take up to eight weeks to receive your refund. If you are set up for automatic withdrawal, your water and sewer is paid on the last banking day of the month. Teodoro says working class Chicagoans, like Padgett, are spending a bigger portion of their paychecks on water and sewer bills to help to balance budgets. She has since returned to work. For information on utility bill payment plans, please see Utility Bill Payment Plans. Its the way cities are trying to collect this [water] debt, but it can end up being very unfair for the customers, said Coty Montag, senior counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and author of the 2019 report Water/Color: Upon receiving an approved inspection from the Citys Community Development Department, users should contact the Finance Department at (630) 293-2200 to begin receiving the sewer credit for outdoor water usage. They become the basis through which debt collectors go after the paychecks and even peopleshomes. "The city is still billing us even though the water meter hasn't moved and there's no water being used!" And communities riddled with hundreds of such homes are hard pressed Sprinkler Meter Installation You may submit your change request by completing the Change of Owner Name/Mailing Address Form. Click here for more information . Customers will only be charged for the water used, and the total annual water bills are guaranteed not to be any higher that the normal assessed rate, for seven years. I realized that by myself, I was still spinning my wheels, shesaid. billings andliens.. Matt Kiefer is WBEZs data editor. Attached was a bill for$1,100. A monthslong WBEZ investigation revealedthat: In a statement, a spokesman for Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot touted her administrations continued efforts to address waterdebt. way of collecting waterdebt. Within four years, There are 7,143 properties in Chicago that owe more than $10,000 for water. How do I start recycling? lagunitas hop water; matt beleskey retired; west chicago water bill lawsuit; June 22, 2022 . The lawsuit alleges that the village has refused to "issue a water bill reflecting the actual water usage by (Otubusin)." How do I change the name on an account when a property has transferred or is going to be transferred? For information on Full Payment Certificates, please see Full Payment Certificates. The following year, with Daleys help, a new ordinance was passed. The City of Chicago offers a variety of convenient payment options to help make paying your utility bill quicker and easier. The Municipal Code of Chicago provides that the titleholder of record is responsible for all utility billing account charges up to the date of foreclosure. Im already struggling hard enough just to pay my mortgage, Padgett said. At that time, Emanuel said the rate hikes were needed to repair the citys aging waterinfrastructure. The retired community health worker rented an apartment nearby to monitor the reconstruction. She lived there without water for nearly a year during one of the worst pandemics in modernhistory. Mara Ins Zamudio is a reporter for WBEZs Race, Class and Communities desk. Shes one of tens of thousands currently struggling to keep up with water bills. On May 12, 2017, Emanuel named Randy Conner as the new commissioner. A previous version of this story misidentified Sylvia Taylor in a photo caption and misattributed a quote from Taylor. When DWM is able to obtain an actual meter reading you will receive a bill that reflects that actual usage. Meanwhile, the city continued to charge Taylor for water she wasnt using and fined her for a debt she didnt really owe. You could have found me in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017," said Hickman. After the hearing, the town's spokesman took a different tack, questioning Chicago's actions over the years. and Benefit Fund, since the tax was implemented in 2017, according to a WBEZ analysis of city budgetdocuments. Cristina Infante and her husband, Luis, sit close to the small microphone. Water and sewer billing to customers is done on a bi-monthly basis. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. He said roughly 51 percent of residents "are caught up and getting bills every two months.". Just in case she didnt turn off the water the right way the first few times, she said. Of the homeowners who said they had been contacted by a debt collector, none of them knew about thehearings. You are responsible to pay all new post-petition charges in full and on time. Or, if you prefer, you can also pay your utility bills online via E-Pay. The passing of the historic 2022 went unnoticed foryears. If an adjustment is made to your account as a result of the dispute, you will receive a credit. He found the Infantes liable for $4,969.85 in past-due water bills. Taylor reached out to WBEZ, asking for help in 2019 following an investigation into the rising cost of water in Chicago and how water shutoffs were disproportionately concentrated in low-income, mostly-Black and mostly-Latino neighborhoods in thecity. At less than a penny per gallon, Chicagos rates will remain among the lowest in the nation for fresh, clean water. How do I apply for the Senior Sewer Exemption? How do I drop my payment off during non-business hours? It also alleges that the village acted deceptively and knowingly misrepresented facts. Padgett said she was proud when she inherited the home from her grandfather, who was the second Black person to own a home on the block. And that water debt can have profound effects both on the generational wealth of individual families and on the long-term stability and economic viability of entire communities. . Automatic Payment of Utility Bills Application (PDF). David Moore, 17th Ward, exhibited a photo of And you have to convince the representative that you are entitled to the information," Kohn said. Finance: finance@westchicago.org Her argument and probably WBEZs argument is likely that she has been unfairly billed continuously and her property has been vacant since 2007, an unnamed FOIA officer from the water department wrote in an email to former Taylors case showcases a number of problems with Chicagos water debt from the massive amounts owed by tens of thousands of residents whove failed to keep up with the rising cost of water over the past decade to the citys Helene Kohn tells a different story. Sprinkler Meters hundreds of millions of dollars, collectively, owed to the city. The city said it stopped issuing statutory liens in2012. "Obviously, I am not in a position to pay a water bill of $5,195.14 for water consumption that should (be) less than $200," Otubusin wrote in his letter, according to court documents. The Englewood home did not have running water for years after her she inherited it, but the city kept charging her. Animation: How the Kohns ended up with a massive water bill, how their tenant collected city contract cash but never paid the bill, and how a city-hired collection company stood to profit. We will need the following information: your full legal name, the service address, the billing address, the date you take possession of the property, day and evening phone numbers, whether you own, lease or rent, and whether the use of the property will be for residential or commercial use. No sticker is required. Drop Box Payments With AutoPay, you will not have to remember to pay your bill. I received a Yellow Notice of Water Service Termination what does this mean? "This will be over when the final billing district returns to regular billing.". And the city couldnt provide an accounting of the water usage at the vacant, unmetered property "Now it's just destroyed. Its not like this is a choice. A water department employee wrote in the report entire building vacant, water shutoff since 2007. However, the report while reportedly investigating allegations that a district superintendent used his city email account to sell guns. The Department of Finance is required by ordinance to bill and collect for all water usage registered on your water meter. Any such annual increase, however, shall be capped at 105% of the previous year's rate. Chicago Tribune. If you do not receive a bill during the first week of your billing month please call (630)293-2200 to receive a copy. Customer service representatives are available from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Water Charges If the foreclosure is only pending (Lis Pendens), and not yet executed, the titleholder of record remains liable for the utility billing charges. But, the city kept the water flowing. We dont go on vacations. A water tower in south suburban Homewood. In December, for those customers who have not been making regular payments on their account will be issued late notices, with no late fees applied. A Study of Race and the Water Affordability Crisis in AmericasCities.. The owners name is changed through the Full Payment Certificate Process. Sprinkler Meter Billing It's been nearly a year since Sandie Robertson received a water bill from West Chicago. than 16,300 meters, and Emanuel announced the program was achieving significant savings for Chicago residents across thecity.. The city attempts to make collection of outstanding utility debt through a series of bills and collection noticies, the law department wrote in a statement when asked if contracting with private law firms was the most cost-effective Sure, the suburb got behind on its bills, he said, but partly because the mayor wasn't willing to pass the rate hikes on to his poor constituents. This is despite the fact that the tenant was unlicensed as of early 2016. In 2015, Taylor requested the water department send an inspector to verify that the building was vacant. WBEZ has now found that tens of thousands of Chicago homeowners have incurred hundreds of millions of dollars in debt to pay for a resource they cant livewithout. Andrea Cheng, commissioner of the citys Department of Water Management, declined tocomment. Since the water-sewer tax was implemented, Padgetts water bills grew and her debt accumulated at a faster rate than in previous years. The city had filed a statutory lien against the property a debt collection tactic that the city has used against people with long-standing waterdebt. In 2013, the city said people in unmetered single family homes, on average, paid 25% more for water because their bills are calculated on a propertys The lawsuit, filed in the First Judicial District Court in April, alleges that the city has overcharged a "significant number" of its water and sewer customers for more than a decade, with . In 2009, the city issued a statutory lien against Sylvia Taylor's vacant property. Leading up to a divorce in 2015, she started falling behind on her water bills, which only kept climbing when Emanuel implemented a water-sewer tax in 2017 on top of the earlier ratehike. The city of Chicago versus Luis and Cristina Infante, Chico reads from thedocket. Along with paying online, you can also pay by phone, by mail, or in-person at apayment center or automated EZ Pay Station. reputation, previous clients evaluation as well as the client departments needs and evaluations, the law department wrote in a statement. The web portal allows you to: View, print, or download your bills Go green and enroll in paperless billing View payment history and usage How do I pay my City of Chicago unified utility bill? Since 2010, Chicagoans have paid more than $937 million to address their delinquent water bills and additional fees associated with that debt. She couldn't even register the property as her own commercial property because her tenants already had an account at that address. CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) The West Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill Wednesday that would . The ordinance established a new enforcement model that includes a path for the city to issue statutory liens against properties with delinquent water bills. Please call Groot directly at (877) 775-1200. To avoid estimated reads that may inaccurately reflect actual usage, DWM encourages customers to request the installation of an automatic meter reader. Carla Padgett works as an office assistant and owns a home on Chicagos South Side. Learn more atLearn more at Chicago.gov/COVIDVax. Make a payment on your utility bill. Column: Chalk talk needed on the Chicago Blackhawks parking-lot tribute to departed star Patrick Kane, Darien getting its first marijuana dispensing business, Chicago-area man mourns loss of 100 relatives in Turkey earthquake, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. The city sent the Kohns' bill to its collection firm Talan and Ktsanes. CBS called the owners of those properties to see whether they were aware of their debt. There are some service orders stating the property appears vacant, the FOIA officer warned about a report that said the entire building was vacant and water shut-off since2007.. situated for more of thesame.. He planted a pine tree in his front yard. I dont buy a lot of clothes, Padgettsaid. Chicagos water rates nearly doubled. Page 14 is an issue, Vidis wrote to Levandoski and Anjali Julka, former Freedom of Information Act officer for the mayors office. There are more than 220,000 delinquent accounts, collectively owing more than $421 million. Howard noted that Chicago charges about 21/2 times more for water than it did in 2006 and questioned the city's reasoning that the extra cash is needed for infrastructure improvements. She paid $167 for water usage during that time, but she probably owes somewhere in the neighborhood. NOTE: If your water is illegally restored you will be assessed a fine of $500.00. clemson baseball record; how wages are determined in competitive labor markets; utah red rocks gymnastics roster; carnival miracle refurbishment 2020; Chicago's attorneys have argued that Chicago has, in essence, kept the suburb financially afloat by providing it water, as required by law, that Harvey can turn into a cash magnet. To promote safe browsing, we will be changing our web address (also known as the URL) from chicago.docugateway.com to utilitybill.chicago.gov. By April 2019, her bill had increased When your water rates are unaffordable, and youre not accounting for low-income customers, theres going to be a disproportionate impact on Black residents and other residents of color, Montagsaid. Now, were just The State receives a service charge in proportion to the amount of your bill. Public Works: publicworks@westchicago.org, West Chicago City Hall If your water has been shut off for 30 days or more you must sign a Release of Liability before water service can be restored. Home / Uncategorized / west chicago water bill lawsuit He said Harvey this month paid its July bill for nearly $900,000 its first payment since March. A Cook County judge on Friday denied a second request by Chicago for the court to take control of a lucrative stream of money that Harvey collects from selling Chicago water to tens of thousands of south suburban residents and businesses. Like widgets on a factory conveyor belt, Padgett is among the tens of thousands of Chicagoans navigating an unfamiliar debt collection system with few checks and balances that offers little room to negotiate the repayment of Once a multi-million-dollar company, the business supported the Kohn family through two World Wars and the Great Depression. When her insurance company refused to continue paying rent to accommodate for the delays, she was forced to move into the vacant Englewood home. A man who was sent a $5,347 water bill in Homewood is suing the south suburban village, alleging fraud and deceptive practices. west chicago water bill lawsuit. Federal officials, as part of a criminal probe, have subpoenaed records involving Harvey's last comptroller. Without income, her debt kept growing. Within a few months, Taylor was Homeowners stuck in water debt can lead to properties The city's debt collection system. The tax is charged to all non-exempt Chicago businesses and residences, and is billed as a separate line item on utility bills. To allow for greater ease of obtaining actual meter readings and ensure accurate bills, the City encourages customers to request the installation of an automatic meter reader. $280 in 2007. Mail-In Payments That move was prompted, in part, by an American Public Media/WBEZ investigation published earlier that year, which revealed that, in a decade, the cost of water in Chicago tripled and more than 150,000 water shutoffs for delinquent customers were disproportionately concentrated in Black and Latino Non-metered accounts are assigned to properties that do not have a water meter to measure usage. But Infante never got a chance to explain her familys situation. neighborhoods. A senior rate is available for heads of households 65 years or older. 475 Main Street "We're trying to donate it, but nobody will even take it because there's a $60,000 water bill," says Kohn in a small voice as he stands, tortured, in the basement by a water meter. An estimated $775 million in water and sewer tax revenue were allocated to the citys Municipal Employees Annuity Water and sewer rates increase to keep pace with normal inflation. Signup for our newsletter to get notified about sales and new products. Taylor needed time to figure out whether her daughter would move in or if shed rent it out. Follow her @maerunes. Daley has aggressively pursued minor civil and criminal offenses, under the broken windows concept that unchecked small disorders will lead to larger ones, Jim Reilly, the first director of the administrative hearings department, There are almost twice as many unmetered homes in Chicagos majority-Black ZIP codes compared to its majority-white ZIP codes, a WBEZ analysisfound. That business is now worthless. She also is not on record as having taken any stand against the structural imbalances and the sort of the draconian result that was produced on Black and brown people under the present system, Davis said. If you have lost your property through a foreclosure and are still receiving a water bill, please provide a copy of the executed Foreclosure Deed via fax to 312.747.6894, email to utilitybilll@cityofchicago.org or mail to P.O. A property owner may request that water bills be sent in attention to the name of a tenant, however, this does not relieve the owner of the subject property from liability for unpaid utility charges. Illinois E-Pay Charmaine Runes is WBEZs data/visuals reporter. Sylvia Thomas, left, holds a tax lien notice she received from the city of Chicago. The good news, Guttman said, is the city is making progress in correcting the problem. By spring 2021, Taylor finally got her water reconnected. vacant by the city that had a delinquent water debt within 90 days of being included in the citys vacancydatabase. You can stop by City Hall (475 Main Street) or call (630) 293-2200 during normal business hours. Thousands of Chicago homeowners were going into debt because they couldnt keepup. More information is available underutility bill payment plans. Even the amount owed is now in dispute. Be sure to indicate your name and phone number on the cover letter. Expand. Vaccines protect you and the people around you, reducing the spread of COVID-19. The Padgett family tree is rooted in this house. I don't want to have to lose my building over a water bill. VIDEO:Here was CBS 2 Investigator Brad Edwards' experience as he tried to get answers on this story. Community Development: communitydev@westchicago.org Please call Groot directly at (877) 775-1200. "Why was the city waiting when the water bill was racking up to almost 40 plus thousand dollars?" For the current water and sewer rates, please see Water and Sewer Rates. The new water meter reading equipment accurately collected all the information related to water use and billing, but as many as 40 percent of the meters were unable to transmit that information to the city's servers because of a hardware failure. Late penalties, posting notices or interruption of water service can be avoided if payment arrangements are made prior to assessment of fees or shut off. . Per city records, it's made $12,091,315.92 from its cut of the collections since 2010. We knew that there were programs and funds in place to abate water debt and to avoid shutoff, but this information was not routinely and consistently conveyed by the customer service representatives, Davissaid. Police: police@westchicago.org accounts, including water bills, as a ripe source for revenue. But the fight was far from over. Effective March 2017, utility bills include water-sewer tax charges. Environmental Lawsuit Filed Against Nicor and ComEd; National Drinking Water Week; Water Meter Replacement Program; . But Chicago alleged in court filings last week that despite turning over thousands of records, Harvey failed to deliver a comprehensive accounting of how it handled the water money and that what it did send was "false and misleading. When this occurs, you will receive an estimated bill. Your account will be reviewed to determine possible billing errors. City of Chicago Payment Portal. But the judge did order both sides to meet to work out what documents are still needed to shed light on what happened to the money. Chicagos Inspector General Joseph Fergusons office uncovered emails that extended to senior levels of department management The city also filed statutory liens against 4,500 homeowners between 2010 and 2012. Angela Caputo contributed fact-checking to this report. The city now has . But he could not answer (Otubusin's) question definitively as to whether the old meter was faulty or not.". But by then it was too late. Vaccines protect you and the people around you, reducing the spread of COVID-19. Emanuel added a garbage fee and increased the sewer fee. The city also went after 75 delinquent water accounts by filing liens against those properties with That first request finally got The City of West Chicago offers the option of purchasing a sprinkler meter. Kohn is now responsible for his tenant's $58,733.27 bill. last year to help low-income homeowners. Cook County, Inc. or CEDA helped the city enroll more than 15,000households. For automatic debit from your checking account, simply print out and complete an Authorization Agreement and then submitthis form along with a canceled check to the Finance Department during normal business hours. west chicago water bill lawsuit. Not only are we shoring up the citys finances, were ensuring that thousands of workers are able to retire with dignity and security, Emanuel said in a press release after the tax was approved by the Chicago CityCouncil. Can I manage my utility billing account online? Joe Munder - Water Treatment Plant Superintendent Rocky Horvath - Utility Superintendent Mike Noa - Facilities Management & Vehicle Maintenance Superintendent Contact Info: (630) 293-2255 1400 W. Hawthorne Lane West Chicago, IL 60185 Fax: (630) 293-3028 publicworks@westchicago.org Mailing Address: 475 Main Street West Chicago, IL 60185 Receiving Sewer Credit You may obtain a copy of the Foreclosure Deed from the Cook County Recorder of Deeds www.ccrd.info. Water & Sewer Billing