Call Kurtis: Wasted Efforts

No one likes paying for a service they don't need. When a Sacramento woman found out she and her neighbors were paying twice for yard waste service, it was time to call Kurtis.

She found out when she finally checked her bill. She lives in a gated community where they pay the homeowners association to take care of the yard work and waste. So why is the city charging them too?

Kimberly Morris knows she shouldn't be paying the City of Sacramento for yard waste service.

"Our homeowners association actually takes care of all the grounds... our small backyards," says Kimberly.

And her HOA dues go to disposing of the waste in her gated community. She says when she pointed it out to the City of Sacramento, they promised her a refund of nearly $300, the amount she's paid since moving in almost two years ago. But the refund never came.

"The next month we were still charged for green waste. I called again," says Kimberly.

And after a number of calls, it seems the city changed its mind, telling her she had to pay for yard pickup because her house faces a public street, although she only accesses it from the back of her house inside her gated community.

"I was very angry and I felt like I was continuously hitting dead ends," says Kimberly.

She turned to us. The day we were coming out to talk with her, she told the city we were on the way.

"I had said, look, I'd called Call Kurtis, CBS13 is coming out to do an interview at 3:30. I need answers and I need them now," says Kimberly.

Just minutes before we arrived, Kim got a call from a supervisor, saying she'd get her refund. But what about her neighbors who are also paying for yard waste pickup? After we posed that question, the Sacramento Utilities Department agreed to refund 15 neighbors as well.
The city issued the following statement:

The residents… including Ms. Morris, are a unique situation for the City of Sacramento. Their homes face a public street, which under City code require them to receive services such as yard waste service, however they access the property through a private street in the back of the homes that would exempt them under City Code from having to receive the service. We were working hard behind the scenes to help come up with a solution that addressed Ms. Morris' concerns while ensuring that the code was being properly applied to the property. We apologize for the delay and appreciate her patience through the process.s

There are 15 homes impacted. They should be notified shortly via mail and the credit should appear on their October bill. It will vary depending on how long someone has lived there (we can only provide a credit for 3 years back, but if someone bought 18 months ago, they are only eligible for an 18 months credit).

-- Jessica Hess
Media and Communication Specialist
City of Sacramento Department of Utilitie

Kim doesn't understand why it took her call to us, to get results.

"So if you call out a big dog, it happens. I mean things happen," says Kimberly.

A big lesson for Kim and her neighbors in this case is to check your monthly bills to make sure you're not being charged for something you aren't using. The City of Sacramento tells us the most they can credit a customer is three years.