Sauk Village, Illinois renters have no water, say dispute between landlords, village has left them out to dry
SAUK VILLAGE, Ill. (CBS) -- Water pipes in south suburban Sauk Village have been running dry in some homes for days—all thanks to a dispute between landlords and the village.
A veteran and several other residents have been left high and dry.
Faucets are dry in Eric Fourte's apartment, and the days keep mounting. As of Monday night, it had been five.
"One day is too long for me," Fourte said.
The Navy vet is up to date on his rent and all the utilities in his name. Yet last week, the Village of Sauk Village slapped a pink disconnection notice on his apartment door—as well as that of his neighbor.
"But it says there, as you can see, 'unpaid bill.'" Fourte said. "So who should I blame?"
The water is paid by landlords. Fourte's landlord is Otis Smith—who blames the village.
"They're just shutting people's water off," Smith said.
Earlier this year, Smith remodeled and moved two tenants into a unit he owns. Mr. Fourte was one of those tenants.
"I reached out to the village once, and they said there was no bill," Smith said. "This was early in the summer, right around May."
Smith said for months, he never received a water bill—which is due monthly in Sauk Village. When he finally did get a bill, it was dated for June—but showed a due date of May 21.
Smith lives out of state. When he tried to pay the bill online, he said the village's system would not allow him.
The October bill came in just a few weeks ago, Smith said.
"The amount due was $63 was what the bold type said on it, and it said it had an accumulative amount that would have made it $100," he said.
Now, both Smith and Fourte say the first indication they knew that water bill was past due was the pink slip left at the door of the building.
When Smith finally got a hold of the village on that $63 bill, it had jumped to $483.94—and $661.49 for the two units. Receipts show Smith paid the balances, fees, and even a $200 reconnection fee.
Yet five days later, Mr. Fourte is still without water.
"I think this is something larger," Smith said.
Meanwhile online, several people have complained about late, missing, and inaccurate water bills. And Mr. Fourte feels caught in the middle.
"I got tons of medicine I've got to take, for one, Jermont," he said. "and I don't have access to water."
The village manager of Sauk Village said Tuesday that it has had an IT issue with its internet service, which caused some of the problems with billing for a few months. But the village manager said a new system will be up and running this week.
The village said Mr. Fourte's water will be back on once the payment from the landlord is processed—which could take up to seven days.