Brittany Village's late utility bills threaten hundreds of tenants
Oct. 2—Brittany Village Apartments is thousands of dollars behind in bills, forcing companies to threaten to turn off vital utilities.
A few weeks ago, Missouri American Water shut off the water at Brittany Village Apartments, 1601 N 36th St., for a couple of hours, as the owner of the property hadn't paid the bill. But this was only a precursor for what came next.
Missouri American Water recently put up notices warning residents that water would be turned off again due to "non-payment of water bill." That was joined by similar notices from Spire about a natural gas shut-off.
"It's mismanagement," said Whitney Lanning, the executive director of Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph. "The important thing for people to know is that the tenants are doing everything they're supposed to be doing."
The city worked with the utility companies to avoid turning off important services to about 285 units, which would have made them uninhabitable and required social services to find new places for the residents.
"The utilities know and understand the importance of collecting on utility fees," said St. Joseph City Manager Bryan Carter. "That's what keeps the system stable but they also realize the importance of those units to the community. Us, Spire, Missouri American all realize that this community can't afford to lose that number of units in a rapid time."
When contacted by News-Press NOW, Brittany Village's owner said what was due to both companies has been paid and a utility shutoff was avoided but declined further comment.
However, the owner also owes nearly $180,000 in sewer bills to the city after years of past-due payments, leaving tenants stuck in the middle.
"The utilities that are in danger of disconnecting are paid for by the ownership," Lanning said. "What's so unfortunate about this situation is that the owners are collecting rental revenue from the tenants but not paying the bills."
Brittany Village is one of the few low-income housing options in St. Joseph. A two-bedroom apartment there costs about $600 a month. But tenants describe living situations that include leaking windows and roofs, pest problems and broken appliances.
"It's one of the primary sources of housing for that income level," Carter said. "So losing that as a source for housing is not something we can afford to do."
On Thursday, 5th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Kate Schaefer granted the city's motion for default judgment, forcing Brittany Village to pay more than $155,000 in sewer bills. The city also filed a motion for receivership, so if the owner fails to pay the default judgment, a temporary receiver could be ordered to take over the company.
Quinn Ritzdorf can be reached at quinn.ritzdorf@newspressnow.com
