TORRINGTON – Water began running from faucets at High Plains Apartments within a few hours of a visit by City of Torrington personnel to turn it off. The action was taken when, after numerous notices, Ross Management Group in Colorado failed to pay the August water bill.

According to Lynnette Strecker, City of Torrington Clerk/Treasurer, Ross Management Group had been billed like all other utility customers on the last business day of August. Payment is due on the 10th of the following month. In this case the bill was not paid by September 15, when delinquent notices were automatically issued to all past due accounts. 

According to City ordinances, the notice is presumed received three business days after being placed in the U.S. mail. Notice is also provided by the City’s Code Red alert system 24 hours prior to discontinuation of service.

Thursday morning, Stecker said several efforts were made to notify Ross Management of the pending shutoff, without success. She explained that the billing is sent to the management company, which is listed as the party responsible for payment. Bills are not sent to individual tenants whose rent includes the cost of water and
electricity.

“We tried everything we could, to not turn them off, but we had no response,” Strecker said, noting that city utility customers have several ways to make payment, including online, mail, the drop box or in person. 

The lack of response triggered the shut-off notice and consequent action. The water was off about three-four hours, according to Strecker.

City Ordinance 1185, approved by the Wyoming Public Service Commission, was approved by the City Council August 14, 2017.

It reads, in part,

1. Discontinuation of Service to Customers

(a) ...the City shall not terminate service to any customer for violating the City’s rules and regulations or for nonpayment of bills for service until the City has given at least seven (7) calendar days’ notice to residential customers, or three (3) days to commercial or industrial customers.

It continues to list the previously mentioned rules cited by Strecker, who explained that the meters are read earlier in the month in which the bills are generated, so attempts to recover payments are not made until the actual water use, for which the customer is billed, is almost a
month old.

Strecker said the newly initiated billing method has proven successful.

“We’ve had less turnoffs than normal,” she said. “I think that earlier contact has helped and people are good about working with us.

“We spend a lot of time contacting

Silvia Anaya, deputy city clerk, said it is unfortunate that the Colorado company failed to contact the tenants, which includes a
disabled individual

“They are responsible to distribute the information to the tenants,” she said of Ross Management Group. “We had some angry calls, but fortunately, it was shut off for just a few hours.”

The three complex buildings on West C Street north of Eastern Wyoming College contain a total of 32 apartments. Each building has a single water meter that feeds all apartments in that building, and each apartment has its own
electric meter. 

Anaya said the billing at this location is a split situation which is the result of how the building(s) were constructed.

Attempts to contact Ross Management, complex manager Dan D’Onofrio, and a concerned tenant were unsuccessful as of Monday evening.