Movers & Shakers October 29, 2010
Workshop scheduled for proposed water rate hikes
Staff from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission will be in Coeur d'Alene on Tuesday, Nov. 9, to conduct a workshop for 150 customers of Troy Hoffman Water Corporation.
The water utility is seeking commission approval to increase rates for residential customers from a monthly basic charge of $5.50 to $13.31 for up to 3,000 gallons of use. For use in excess of 3,000 gallons, the company proposes an increase to $1.45 for every 1,000 gallons, up from the current charge of 60 cents. For commercial customers, the proposed increase in the basic charge is from $7.50 per month to $18.15 for the first 3,000 gallons. For use in excess of 3,000 gallons the proposed increase is also from 60 cents to $1.45 for every 1,000 gallons.
The company also proposes increases in reconnection fees, late payments fees and returned check fees.
The Nov. 9 workshop begins at 7 p.m. in the Driftwood Bay room of the North Idaho College student union building at 1000 W. Garden Ave. The workshop will provide an opportunity for customers to hear an explanation of the company's application and to ask questions of commission staff. Representatives from the company may also be on hand to answer questions.
Corcoran receives real estate manager designation
Karen Corcoran, real estate brokerage manager for Resort Properties by The Lake, 221 E. Sherman Ave., was awarded the Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager designation by the Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers.
The CRB designation is recognized as the highest level of professional achievement in the industry. It goes to individuals who complete the requirements and demonstrated excellence in real estate brokerage management.
Candidates must complete courses on finance, marketing, training, and strategic planning.
Five northwest Montanareal estate offices to close
Five area Coldwell Banker Wachholz and Co. Real Estate offices in northwest Montana will close their doors Nov. 5.
Ryon Brewer, Coldwell Banker chief operating officer and managing broker, announced the closures Wednesday. The offices are in leased buildings in Kalispell, Whitefish, Lakeside, Eureka and Plains.
The 40 brokers and sales associates affiliated with the agency all are independent contractors, Brewer said. Most are expected to move to other area agencies "and their listings and customers will go with them."
"Our exceptional agents will continue to provide the same level of service they are known for," he said.
Eight staffers, including Brewer, will lose their jobs with the office closures. Brewer moved to the Flathead Valley to start his job at the agency on July 1.
Coldwell Banker Wachholz and Co. Real Estate was founded by Paul Wachholz in 1981 in Kalispell.
Brewer attributed the closure to overall declines in the real estate industry.
"The company's fortunes have been susceptible to the economic conditions of the times, and have mirrored the decline of the local, regional and national real estate markets," Brewer said.
The effect of the downturn in the luxury real estate market has been particularly difficult for the agency, he said.
The downturn in the real estate market hit Montana a little later than most of the rest of the country, Brewer said, but its effects here were major.
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