20230228Comment(1)_1.pdf

From:PUCWeb Notification
To:Jan Noriyuki
Subject:Notice: A comment was submitted to PUCWeb
Date:Tuesday, February 28, 2023 7:00:07 AM
The following comment was submitted via PUCWeb:
Name: Layne Mackay
Submission Time: Feb 27 2023 5:27PMEmail: [e-mail]
Telephone: [phone]Address: 67w. 1100 n.
Rupert, ID 83350
Name of Utility Company: Island park water company
Case ID: ISL-W-23-01
Comment: "In November of 2018 my wife and I purchased a new cabin in Aspen RidgeSubdivision in Island Park Idaho. This is our billing history with our water provider, Island
Park Water Co. Feb. 2019 - 1st water assessment bill of $280 was sent to our propertymanagers plus a prorated amount for Nov. and Dec. 2018. This billing was paid and
documented by our property managers. Aug. 2019 personally received an additional waterassessment of $280 for the same property plus a late charge of penalty and interest. My wife
personally contacted IPWC and was told that because we rented our property out to others wewere assessed a double yearly assessment plus penalty and interest for being late. Promptly
paid even though we questioned this practiced of double assessment. Feb. 2020- receiveddouble assessment of $560. Promptly paid Feb. 2021- same Feb. 2022- same Jan. 2023 - we
received and filled out a questionnaire from the Idaho Public Utilities commission concerningIPWC. In the comment portion of the questionnaire I wrote about our double assessments.
Feb. 2023- received our 2023 billing from IPWC. Double assessment of $560 plus a past due?amount of $61.20 I forwarded a copy of this billing to Jon Kruck, a compliance investigator
with the IPUC, who promptly sent a communication to IPWC. I received a call from IPWC.She told me that she was mistaken on our double assessments. She would only be billing us
for one assessment and credited us for double paying in 2022. When I asked about beingcredited for all passed double Billings she said she would just do one year for now. When I
asked about the past due amount she said she would take that off as a “courtesy”. In Aug. 2020my wife and I and my Nephew and his wife together purchased a 2nd Island Park property at
Goose Bay subdivision. Also serviced by Island Park Water Company. This is our waterassessment history at Goose Bay Feb. 2021- received an assessment of $280 from IPWC.
Promptly paid in full. Feb. 2022- received a billing from IPWC for $280 for yearly waterassessment plus 627.20 in pass due interest and penalty. We inquired through email about the
$627.20 passed due because we had record of prior payments in a timely manner. Noresponse. We then sent a check for $280 and a copy of the email to IPWC. I included a letter
explaining that we know that our Aspen Ridge property is double assessed for water because itis a rental property So if we ever finished the upgrades on this cabin at Goose Bay and started
renting I assumed we would be charged accordingly. But, we did not want to pay a doubleassessment if we did not rent and we did not know for sure if we would be finished with our
updates in time to rent for the summer and would voluntarily keep her informed. No response.In Aug. 2022 I sent an additional assessment amount of $280 with a note that we had started
renting. My motive was to stay away from being charged penalties and interest for noncompliance. This check cleared our bank acct. the first part of Nov. 2022. I then received a
letter dated November 28,2022 from IPWC for a passed due amount of 694.40. and included in this letter was a cease and desist order from using IPWC water until past due amount is paid
in full. The past due amount was for $560 unpaid water assessment for 2022 and $134.40 in pass due interest. Through text I documented our own accounting of previous Billings and
prompt payments and why we should not have been charged any past due amount. No response. We are still waiting for a response and a resolution to that inquiry and for our 2023
water assessment for this property at Goose Bay subdivision. I want to extend a thank you to Jon Kruck a compliance officer for the Idaho public utilities commission. He has been very
informative and helpful in starting to settle these matters. I’m regretful that I did not know about this avenue to question these business practices before now. "
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