Pay or your water will be shut off

POST FALLS - A new agreement between Post Falls and East Greenacres Irrigation District adds teeth to fetching funds for unpaid utility balances.

The agreement allows providers to shut off the EGID water service of city residents who are delinquent on their sewer bills, and sanitation and street light fees owed to the city.

There are 115 unpaid utility accounts in the affected area on the west side of Post Falls, with a balance of more than $75,000, said Jason Faulkner, the city's finance director.

Faulkner said the city has been pursuing the agreement for about 15 years.

"This is a huge agreement," Faulkner said. "As finance director and city treasurer, I review the balances on utility accounts and noticed that these unpaid balances have steadily increased over the years as residential development in East Greenacres Irrigation District has grown."

The city entered into a similar agreement with the Ross Point Water District on the city's east side in 1998.

Faulkner said the EGID board previously didn't believe the district could enter into an agreement with the city because EGID was created by the federal government.

"However, Ron Wilson performed his due diligence as the district manager and consulted with other federally created irrigation districts along with their own attorney and there isn't anything to restrict this agreement," Faulkner said. "Therefore, the city and EGID were able to move forward."

EGID manager Ron Wilson couldn't be reached for comment on Monday.

Faulkner said the city's Finance Department historically has attached liens on properties and sent such utility accounts to collection, but such methods have been "relatively unsuccessful."

"I needed another way to collect," Faulkner said.

Faulkner said the new agreement is important because not only is it expected to help the city collect debt, but it's also a matter of fairness.

"Utility rates for water, sewer, and garbage keep increasing each year and it isn't fair to have the paying citizens subsidize the citizens who are not paying," he said.

The city last week sent a letter to city residents who receive EGID water and are delinquent on their account. The letter states that accounts must be paid in full by Sept. 22 or they need to contact Faulkner to discuss a payment plan.

Faulkner said the city is already seeing some early results as a result of the beefed-up enforcement.

"We have had a few utility balances cleared up and there have been a couple of payment arrangements made," he said. "City residents from the EGID are starting to call."

The city also disconnects water service to other city residents who are delinquent on their accounts or don't set up a payment plan.