SHREVEPORT, La. — Water is running again at Sanctuary Apartments in Shreveport after the complex’s owner reached a repayment deal with the city over a utility bill that had climbed to nearly $145,000.
City attorneys and Brandon R. Snead, interim director of the Department of Water and Sewerage, worked out the terms with the owner in a phone call on Oct. 20, and service was restored that day. The owner has handed the city $68,000 so far. Mayor Tom Arceneaux said $1,000 of that goes against the old balance, while the other $67,000 is held as a deposit the city can tap if future water and sewer bills go unpaid.
The remaining $144,000 is to be paid off at $24,000 a month for six months, on top of the property’s regular monthly bills. The biggest change from the earlier setup is who is on the hook: the debt had been a corporate obligation, but the owner has now personally guaranteed the payments and agreed to answer personally for any overdue bills the property runs up later.
The owner also agreed that Caddo District Court can hear any civil dispute, which lets the city sue locally if the terms are broken instead of chasing the case elsewhere. Arceneaux acknowledged the city let the balance grow for too long and said he is reviewing water accounts tied to other Shreveport properties held by the same owner through separate companies.
The deal does not touch a criminal case the city pursued earlier. A warrant was obtained on one count of misappropriation of funds under a state law, created by House Bill 6 and enacted as Act 231, that targets landlords who divert money meant for tenants’ utility payments. City officials said that case will move through the courts on its own track.
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