Salt Lake Telegram | 1933-06-09 | Page 17 | Water Charges Raise Problem

WATER CHARGES RAISE PROBLEM F Year Old Suit May B BUsed Be Used to Settle Issues Involved With certain ertain pr property owner charging high-handed high tactics en on th the thc part of ot city officials to collect water wate bills and officials pointing to tol th the moot legal question Who is liable Hable tor for unpaid bills revival of f a f four four- ur-i ur year old year lawsuit to settle the question loomed Friday The owner of a repossessed dwelling refused to pay an n accumulated bill for tor o wat water r used by the person who had hat defaulted on the sales contract Cit City officials declined at first to turn o othe on the culinary water service until th the bill was paid Then a 50 compro I compro compromise mise enise was offered by the water dc dep department de- de p and refused While th the controversy Is tilt till i in process ss of of settlement the water has ha has been turned on on Commissioner George Georg D. D K Keyser said I Meantime city attorneys recalled the pending suit of J. J T. T Keith against the city to collect He he was forced to pay the sum sum sumas as a a back backwater water bill at t Fifth East street before the city would turn on th the water after Mr Keith had purchased the hc property The laws lawsuit it has been bee pending over four years on on demurrers demur demur- and motions o of various kinds an anis and andis is now on the trial setting calendar In city court Questions Question raised in the Keith case cas have a been continually ly r recurring cu r ng dur dur- r- r mg ing me IDe past pass two wo years jn In n with citizens citizens' inability to 10 pay the their water bills it was pointed out This Thi has led to efforts on th the part of cit city officials to fix fixa a policy for s such ch cases Meantime th thousands of dollars in unpaid unpaid un un- paid bills have been piling up on on cit city books books' or abated on compromise c agreements by the city commission said laid In cases where the water depart depart- department department ment determines tenants have p paid id rent to property owners ers it falls faUs t to the lotsof lotof the city health and egal lega departments to decide r th the water service should be supplied without payment of back bills Usually Usually Usually ally the the- owner is is required to pay th bill and in turn collects the sum from tram his tenants In no no c case sc however will residents resident be be- deprived of water service upon proper show showing ng from the board o ot of health and a welfare agency that th the family is in need of the service anc and unable to pay the bill it was stated by w water ter d department officials