Atlanta Responds After 'Questionable Billing' Quip From Sierra Ridge Apartments Owner

ATLANTA, GA -- A growing rift over delinquent utility bills between the city of Atlanta and the new owners of the Sierra Ridge Apartments in southeast Atlanta shows no signs of abating. Days after Mayor Kasim Reed and the Department of Watershed Management turned the spigots back on for tenants who had no water, the company that owns the apartments is speaking out and, in essence, calling out the city's billing practices.

“We are pleased that the City of Atlanta restored water service just a short while ago," Addison Hasid VI LLC said in a statement Thursday. (SIGN UP: For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. Or if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

"It is extremely unfortunate and unfair to the residents of Sierra Ridge who have suffered, especially since the past due balance at issue is the result of fraudulent activity by the past owners of Sierra Ridge and questionable billing practices by the City," the company said.

When told about the quip, the city of Atlanta's Department of Watershed Management spokeswoman Rukiya Campbell, fired back, telling Patch in a statement, "The $270,000 past due balance was accrued by the current owner and is due to non-payment of the bill from the property owner only."

Campbell said the city proactively notified the Sierra Ridge property owner of the delinquent balance and made attempts to assist in bringing the account into good standing, "but the owner did not comply."

"This unfortunate circumstance is due to the negligence of the Sierra Ridge property owner, who will also be in Municipal Court on August 16 for numerous Atlanta Housing Code violations including uncleaniness, hazards of fire, structural defects and other dangerous violations needing urgent correction," Campbell said.

$690K In Unpaid Bills: City Of Atlanta Restores Water For Delinquent Apartment Complex

The city of Atlanta on Monday restored water at the complex as many families were left without the basic utility just as many of their children were heading back to school.

The apartment owner said that despite its quickly deteriorating relationship with the city, the company wants to move past this issue for the good of the tenants.

"The living conditions of our residents at Sierra Ridge is our foremost concern and we have been working diligently and fairly for over a year to resolve this matter from the moment we learned of it," Hasid said. "Until just a few days ago, we felt we were working together with the city to resolve this and other issues. It is our intention to continue with our plans of improving this apartment complex, and collaborating with others to improve the entire surrounding neighborhood as well."

Campbell said that the Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services is already assisting multiple families with relocation efforts. Fourteen properties have been found that are "willing and able" to accommodate those in need and several families have already been relocated, she said.

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