NMHC asks CUC to hold off on planned disconnection

In response to a notice of disconnection from the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., the Northern Marianas Housing Corp. has asked CUC to hold off on the disconnection as they are reviewing the charges on their account.

NMHC corporate director Jesse S. Palacios wrote CUC acting executive director Betty Terlaje last week addressing the recent notice of disconnection the agency had received.

In his letter, Palacios made known his intent to dispute the notice and is asking for documentation regarding their account, including related invoices, a detailed breakdown of charges, and any other supporting documentation so that they can thoroughly review them.

“Due to the sensitivity of this issue, we are asking that any disconnections be held off until all documentation is provided to NMHC for proper payment. NMHC will need to review these charges and properly verify them on our end,” he said.

Palacios also stated that NMHC’s fiscal division has found some discrepancies on a number of account balances that they intend to dispute.

Jesse S. Palacios

“After a number of calls between our fiscal division and your billing team, we have concluded that there are a number of account balances that need further attention,” he stated.

Some of the discrepancies found, Palacios said, were a number of utility accounts in arrears related to tenant charges “which should not have been billed to NMHC.”

Palacios provided a list of NMHC’s CUC accounts, among them 12 NMHC housing subdivision units on Rota with arrears totaling $309,922.28. The unpaid balance of each of the units ranged from $1,600 to as much as $108,000.

Another account NMHC is disputing is the Koblerville Youth Center.

“[This] account is in the care of the Office of the Governor. There should be a name change in process as NMHC is not responsible for this balance,” he said.

Similar to the Koblerville Youth Center account, NMHC is disputing that there were a number of accounts under NMHC that were no longer under their control, therefore the responsibility to clear the remaining balance on these accounts should not be theirs to bear.

According to Saipan Tribune archives, CUC delivered disconnection notices to several government agencies last May 3, including the CNMI Supreme Court, over unpaid utility billings and charges in the amount of $2,486,634; Legislative Bureau, $38,487; Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, $50,927; and NMHC, $547,769.