Losing water and sewer service is a crisis for any household, but for tenants at Robinwood Park Apartments in Russellville, Kentucky, that threat came on top of ongoing issues with mold, cracked walls, and damaged floors.
While the city ultimately delayed the shut-off, residents insist a temporary reprieve does not solve the problem, as they still live with conditions that need repairs while essential services remain at risk, WNKY reported.
Here's what to know
After Russellville delayed a planned Oct. 5 cutoff, residents of the 82-unit Robinwood Park complex are urging city leaders not to disconnect water and sewer service over the property owner's unpaid utility bill.
Information obtained through an open-records request, cited by the News-Democrat & Leader, indicates the landlord was roughly $80,000 behind on the utility account. The Kentucky Tenant Union says investor Jason Ostro runs Robinwood Park Owner LLC, which owns the complex.
The threat of losing water and sewer service came after years of unresolved maintenance concerns for tenant Patricia Morgan.
Morgan told WNKY that since moving in six years ago, she sought repairs for mold, wall cracks, damaged flooring, and other problems.
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When she learned water and sewer service could be cut, she was floored.
"I said, 'Oh my God, what's next?' But then I said, 'You know what? I got a God that can fix anything, a powerful God,'" Morgan recalled.
Resident organizers argue that a shut-off would punish tenants rather than the landlord who owes the money.
"There should be no shut-off, period," said Joe Mosteller, a Robinwood Park tenant union leader. "Shutting off the water for hundreds of people does not help Russellville get paid. It does not put pressure on the landlord."
More background
According to tenant union leader Jennifer Stevenson, many Robinwood Park residents are among the community's most vulnerable people.
"This is who we are. We are poor. Disabled, elderly, single moms, and working people who are building power to make our lives better because no one else is going to do that for us," Stevenson explained.
At the tenants' news conference, U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker cast the dispute in both personal and political terms.
"I'm here, not simply as a candidate. I'm a renter. I'm a father of three girls, and I'm angry today," Booker remarked.
What's being done?
For now, the city will keep water and sewer service connected through Oct. 5, Mayor Mark Stratton said, and any later cutoff would come with a three-month warning.
That gives residents more time, but tenant organizers are pushing for a lasting solution.
"We gotta celebrate our progress because we know what we're up against, but at the same time, this press conference is critical because we know that 90 days of an assurance of water and sewage is not enough," Booker said.
Before any future attempt to disconnect service, the union wants city officials to hold a council meeting and work directly with residents, according to WNKY.
For renters dealing with restrictive housing rules at home, the situation in Kentucky shows why collective organizing and clear documentation are critical. People trying to change entrenched neighborhood rules can check out our resource on changing homeowners association bylaws.
Residents' immediate demands remain the same: keep the water on, repair the apartments, and hold the landlord accountable.
Where can I learn more?
These stories look at other rental disputes over essential water service. They cover hidden leaks, unexplained charges, and other cases where tenants say landlords left them with the bill.
• At a rental home, a hidden plumbing leak sent one tenant's water bill soaring.
• After a leak, a monstrous water bill landed on a tenant instead of the landlord.
• A renter learned that landlord neglect caused their massive water bill.
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