July 19, 2021 |
In Saratoga, cutting off the water to the assisted living center was a topic of discussion at last week’s water and sewer board meeting. To a man, board members said they oppose turning off the water to the Saratoga Care Center. Some argued, though, that their bylaws gave them no choice. The board was reviewing a list accounts with delinquent bills of $500 or more. Saratoga Town hall sent a letter recently to the biggest offenders on the list. Jon Nelson, Town Council’s representative on the board, said the total amount due on the list of big past due bills was about $44,000.
One of the delinquent accounts is the Saratoga Care Center. The amount that the assisted living center owes is $2,615. Nelson said the outstanding amount due dates back five years to when Deseret Land Company owned the building, prior to when HMS assumed control. Nelson presented the problem from the town’s perspective, and presented two possibilities for the board to consider.
The discussion among board members revolved around concerns that forgiving the past due amount would set a precedent for handling other delinquent accounts. Board members also questioned whether it could take any action other than recommending the that the town follow its own ordinances on the matter.
At the meeting, water and sewer board chair Richard Raymer said he was concerned that requiring the back payment would amount to penalizing HMS, a company that has played the role of white knight in keeping the troubled facility opened after it nearly closed.
HMS, based in Billings, Montana, rescued the assisted living center in May of 2015 when its previous operator, Deseret Health Group abandoned it in the midst of a bankruptcy. Deseret walked away from nursing homes it operated in Kansas, Utah and Wyoming. However, the only property title Deseret held was for the Saratoga facility.
In 2016, with HMS operating the facility, Deseret defaulted on the loan for the building and six lots at 207 East Holly Street in the Highlands Addition. Legal notices for a public auction in June were published. HMS was poised to buy building that it had been renting. Then at the last-minute, Deseret owner John Robertson reached a financial deal with the mortgage holder just before the building was to be sold at public auction.
Joe Rude, owner of HMS, told Bigfoot 99 on the morning of the cancelled sale that he was stunned by the news of the 11th hour deal.
Carbon County online land records state that the property owner is Deseret Landco at Saratoga, LLC, in care of Hart Health Management Services with an address in Billings, Montana. The 2021 market value for the building and property is listed at $739,600.
That’s the short history.
What to do in the present with the delinquent water bill was the question during Wednesday’s meeting. The board considered other properties on the short list with outstanding due accounts to provide context. One is an unoccupied property on North 7th Street that is being foreclosed, and the Rural Development Branch of USDA will become the new owner. The amount due is a little over $4,300. Board member Craig Kopaz agreed with a suggestion from Nelson that service be cut and a lien filed against the property for the amount due.
A third property on the list involves a car wash and personal residence on East Hickory with an outstanding balance of nearly $15,000. Councilman Nelson said he was informed by town hall that the owners were “chipping away” at the bill. The joint powers board reached a general consensus that as uncomfortable as it might seem, “the rules are the rules.” Board member Russ Waldner said the ordinance is clear. Waldner also questioned the seriousness of the payoff plan in place for the car wash. He said the business of the board was to protect the rest of the water and sewer users.
Whether water service had been turned off to the car wash was unclear. When the board circled back to the senior care center they focused on the fact that the past due amount is from five years ago, when Deseret owned it. HMS has been staying current on the bills since assuming control.
Waldner, like other board members said he was not in favor of shutting off water to the Care Center, but forgiving past due amounts on any account is beyond the board’s authority. Waldner made a motion that the board follows the ordinances as the town’s governing body established them.
Council Chair Raymer noted that representatives from the Care Center will have two opportunities to make their case prior to the water cutoff date of July 27th. One will before Town Council and another with the water and sewer board.
The motion passed 4-to-1 with Nelson the only one voting nay. The councilman told Bigfoot 99 after the vote that he believes the joint powers board does have a say on matters that involve water and sewer revenues. The past due bill from the time Deseret owned the facility is $2,600.
Editor’s Note: Since the original posting of this story on Monday, July 19, 2021, the outstanding balance associated with the Saratoga Care Center account was paid in full on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. The matter is resolved now, and the water won’t be turned off to the assisted living center.
Pictured above: File photo of Saratoga Town Hall. Photo by Emma Diercks/Bigfoot 99.
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