Dozens of Sunland Park residents dispute water bill charges

On Tuesday evening, dozens of Sunland Park residents found out their water might be getting cut off Wednesday.

They say the city’s water company, The Camino Real Regional Utility Authority, would be charging

a $75 reconnection fee if they didn’t pay their balance due Tuesday.

Angry residents say the move by the utility was abrupt and unfair, the utility company says this is something they had to do.

Camino Real Regional Utility Authority or CRRUA customers rushed to line up and dispute their water bills.

Many residents received notice that if they had a bill past due and it didn’t get pay by the Jan. 16, their water could be disconnected and they would be charged a $75 reconnection fee.

“Some people have to wait to get paid,” said Sunland Park resident Gerardo Ibarra

Ibarra told ABC-7 CRRUA should have given its customers more of an advance notice.

“They have the whole month for making the payment and aside of that they are given 15 more days for them to pay and avoid a disconnect,” said Ruben Ramirez, CRRUA office manager.

Ramirez tells ABC-7 some residents have gotten notice as far back as December.

Another issue customers say was the 12 p.m. deadline.

Some said they are at work at the time and question the deadline was so early.

“We cut off every day at noon in order for us to prepare all the money. All the deposits have to be counted and sent to the bank to so we have a deadline which is 3 p.m.,” Ramirez said.

Customers said in the past, late fees cost around $5 and then went up to $2. Residents tell ABC-7 they don’t understand why the fees shot up to $75.

“A lot of people take the $5 and take the extra days to the 15th of the month to make the payment and that’s what actually creates problems,” Ramirez said.

So much so Ramirez said — that nearly 50 percent of their customers have bills past due.

“Bottom line is that CRRUA is trying to make every customer current on their account,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez told ABC-7 the utility does have a payment plan for those that cannot make payments.

Anyone interested can speak with a manager at the CRRUA office located at 4950 McNutt Road.