Landlords call City Hall on Joliet water bills

City moratorium on water shutoffs can leave landlords stuck with the bills

The city has been hearing from landlords about a yearlong moratorium on water shutoffs that sometimes leaves them footing the bill.

The moratorium was initiated as one of the first measures to provide relief to the public when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

The city currently has $2.6 million in unpaid water bills that are at least 120 days old owed by tenants, landlords, homeowners, business owners and anyone else who pays a water bill in Joliet.

Landlords, who ultimately have to pay the bill if the tenants don’t, have been calling the city to voice their concerns, Finance Director James Ghedotte told a City Council committee last week.

Ghedotte said he hears about twice a week from landlords who get the bills after they’re not paid by tenants who, in many cases, are not paying rent during a government ban on evictions during the pandemic.

“The landlords are really in a bad situation where they almost can’t win,” Ghedotte said.

Ghedotte’s comments came in response to Finance Committee Chairman Michael Turk, who said he recently heard from a landlord in the same predicament.

Turk suggested the city keep landlords in mind as Joliet considers how it will use nearly $24 million in COVID-19 relief funding coming from the federal government.

“I can see that being a problem with all of the landlords, but I don’t see it being an enormous amount of money,” Turk said.

The first half of the $23.86 million coming to Joliet is scheduled to arrive May 11, with the second half coming sometime in early 2022.

City officials have not determined how the money will be used.

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