One Response to Peoples Water Board Coalition demo 8 21 12

1. Eban Morales says:

   01/29/2013 at 2:49 pm

   Over the last few years the Highland Park Water Department has habitually failed to issue water bills in a timely fashion often going as long as a year then demanding large lump sum payments or rolling the amounts over unto property taxes all the while penalize the residents with fees for a situation the city themselves has caused.
   They are guilty of turning off water services to residents without issuing shut off notices and in some
   instances without having issued a bill at all. The bills themselves, when they are received are unclear as to the billing rate or cycle and shows no payment history or detail information. The Highland Park Water Department has refused to provide print outs of the accounts or explain their practices.
   The amount of the water bills are inconsistent with normal usage and the sewage and waste charges
   exorbitant being at least 3 times the water bill amount. The City has rolled over high water bills unto property taxes as way of immediate revenue through the county, placing it’s residents homes in danger of foreclosure for a water bill
   arrearages.
   The residents are in danger. Water service is being turned off and in the City of Highland Park that means people are losing their heat as well as over 65 percent of the homes here uses boilers/steam heat to heat their homes.
   The City Council unable, the Mayor unwilling, to address the issues and problem at hand or step up to protect the residents or the businesses in Highland Park who have been hit with bills in excess of $26,000 in some cases.
   The City administration is not providing us answers and I, as many believe, are the direct cause for our dilemma with it’s poor management of the City and Water Department .We need resources to make the repairs at the water department and staff it with qualified individuals. We need a water board set in place to oversee the water department and come up with fair rules and due process in handling it’s customers, shut offs, operations, maintenance and revenues.
   We need action to make and keep the water and sewage charges reasonable and affordable for the residents so that it’s citizens aren’t forced out of their homes or unable to use the water. Never should one have to imagine not being able to afford to drink water. bath. wash dishes or flush a toilet because the cost of the water is beyond affordability.
   The City cannot burden the residents in such a manner that they make the quality of living beyond what is decent and outside of their reach for such simple necessities as water nor punish the citizens with threats of shut offs . late fees. etc for a situation that the City itself have caused through their own fault and neglect and mismanagement. Sewer and Waste charges 3 times the amount of what is normal or fair and a department that is rude, disrespectful and unresponsive to it’s customers.
   The Mayor, City Administration and Water Department needs to be made accountable and address the residents and there concerns. Treat it’s residents with respect and courtesy. We need to express our concerns and make our demands known in a Unified manner.
   We have a right to know what the water rates are and have them be affordable. We have a right to know the billing cycle and have it been adhered to. We have a right to be notified of possibly shut off and be able to challenge or appeal that shut off if believed to be in error or unjust before it is shut off. We have a right to an itemized transaction history that shows charges, rates, usage, payments and balances. We have a right to courteous service and have our concerns addressed.
   I urge everyone that reads this letter to discuss it with their neighbors and have them discuss it with their friends, relatives and neighbors.

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