HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The Consolidated Commission on Utilities is looking to address overdue utility bills from government of Guam agencies, as aging reports from the Guam Waterworks Authority and Guam Power Authority show a few million dollars in receivables more than 30 days old.
The CCU discussed overdue bills with GWA during their work session Tuesday. A work session with GPA isn’t until Thursday, but Commissioner Simon Sanchez told The Guam Daily Post they also would want the power utility to plan on how to collect from the government of Guam, and he expected that discussion to come up Thursday as well.
The CCU may act on payment plans to address overdue government bills during their next regular meeting on Aug. 26.
Sanchez said they’re concerned that few previous payment plans were formalized with GovGuam, and now they need to do so as the utilities do with nongovernment ratepayers.
A specific agency discussed Tuesday was the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority, which owes GWA nearly $300,000 dating back six months.
CCU Chair Francis Santos said he alerted Acting Gov. Josh Tenorio about the overdue payments Monday.
“(GWA Chief Financial Officer Taling Taitano) and I discussed a possible payment arrangement, and I said, ‘Taling, we can’t really give them anything. We’ve given them a loan for six months.’ And we’re trying, and I’m challenged today, colleagues…. We need to do something,” Santos added.
It was mentioned Tuesday that GWA does not have a recent payment agreement with GMHA.
“Perhaps we can have management approach the hospital formally and say, ‘We need a payment agreement by next Tuesday when we formally meet.’ And then the commission can decide what its options are,” Sanchez said during Tuesday’s meeting.
The standard payment plan is 50% down on past balances with the remaining to be paid over a few months, according to Sanchez.
Commissioners also discussed fairness among ratepayers, the government included.
Sanchez said other ratepayers can’t be made responsible for another ratepayer’s bill.
Commissioner Melvin Duenas noted that services are cut off if payments aren’t made regardless of a ratepayer’s situation.
“Fairness is important. No matter how poor the family is, if they don’t pay, their utilities get cut off. We need to treat people the same way – the government or a department,” Duenas added.
The Guam Department of Education is the highest among the line agencies that owe GWA, although the vast majority of these aged receivables — $323,697 — are between 31 and 60 days old as of July 31.
The Department of Corrections owes the second largest amount to GWA, based on the July 31 data.
More than $447,000 in receivables from DOC are older than 30 days, but more than $307,000 of that amount is older than 60 days, with $115,804 over 120 days old.
Santos said he would elevate the discussion on DOC to the acting governor, noting that payments owed to GPA for streetlights were expedited after the issue came to light, though it wasn’t said how much was paid.
About $1.5 million in receivables from DPW for signal light and streetlight accounts were more than 30 days old as of the June 30 billings, GPA’s July aging report showed. About $570,803 in receivables for primary streetlights were more than 120 days old.
Tenorio said Monday that he spoke with the directors of the Department of Administration and DPW on village streetlights, adding that he believed money wasn’t the issue but the process to push it through.
