WEEK OF JANUARY 9, 2025
VOLUME 104 | ISSUE 46
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‘Dig Out Your Neighbor’ Arapahoe County is seeking volunteers to take part in snow shoveling program BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
ting the issues with the utility bills resolved. They’re so inaccurate and I am uncertain how to get this resolved.” The email goes on to say that from July to October in 2023, the customer’s water usage was about 35,000 gallons. For the same time frame in 2024, it was billed at about 78,000 gallons. The customer explained they live alone in a small house. Additionally, many people in and outside of Englewood have had issues receiving physical copies of their water bills. “What the heck is going on with the water bills,” a customer asked in an email thread with Englewood Utilities from November and December. “I used to get a paper bill in the mail, and have my online payment method all set up. They used to be so simple to get and to pay.” Many residents and customers state in their emails that they also attempted to directly call the utilities department for assistance with these issues, but the wait times were too long. People have also requested to see their billing and payment history prior to the implementation of the new system as they can’t access the history in the new system.
Mike Gent says helping his neighbors following a snow event is a great way to start the day. Gent is Littleton’s deputy city manager and he volunteers with the Arapahoe County’s Dig Out Your Neighbor program, which matches volunteers with neighbors to help shovel snow. He shovels for a neighbor who is older and is unable to do so herself. “I love the idea of people being able to live where they want to live,” Gent said. “When there’s an older adult in our community who wants to stay in their home, and they have needs — like shoveling their sidewalk — that are legally required of them, or just access (needs), like shoveling their driveway so they can get to their medical appointments … I love the idea of helping someone live their desired life.” With 70 households throughout Arapahoe County requesting help and only 30 active volunteers, the Dig Out Your Neighbor program is seeking more individuals who can assist their neighbors when it snows this winter. “The (Dig Out Your Neighbor) program helps older adults to age independently in their homes,” said Courtney Stryker, the county’s division manager for senior resources and veterans services. “This small task can be helpful for those who have trouble walking or lifting heavy snow. Clear sidewalks also help prevent fines from (homeowners associations) or cities.” Through the program, volunteers are paired with someone who lives within eight minutes of their home address, Stryker said. Many volunteers take on two households, but it is not required, she added. Every time it snows two or more inches, the volunteer is expected to call the person they are shoveling for to confirm they need help. Then, they make arrangements for when the volunteer can go shovel within 24 hours of the snow stopping, Stryker said.
SEE BILLING, P14
SEE SHOVELING, P4
The Charles Allen Water Treatment Plant, located on Layton Avenue at Windermere Street, treats Englewood’s drinking water that is pulled from the South Platte River. PHOTO BY SCOTT GILBERT
Water billing problems frustrate Englewood residents City hopes January bills will display correct amounts BY ELISABETH SLAY ESLAY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Since about mid-summer, Englewood residents have been dealing with waterbill issues stemming from problems with the city’s new utility billing system. Hundreds of emails from September to mid-December obtained by the Englewood Herald through a Colorado Open Records Act request show people asking for help or clarification on issues such as inconsistent amount totals and access to accounts. “It is unacceptable that your systems have not been working properly to communicate with each other since June,” one resident said in an email to the city’s utilities department in November. “I am super frustrated as I am sure many of us are in the City of Englewood.” Englewood Utilities has suspended late fees and shutoffs for non-payment through March 2025 to provide customers with more time to make payments due to these issues.
‘Your website is cactus’
The issues began last summer with problems in the implementation of the system, which the city said it had resolved in September. The city bills around 11,000 people in Englewood each month for water, sewer, stormwater and concrete services; and bills 35,000 people outside of the city for sewer treatment services. Many emails show customers requesting assistance with accessing their accounts under the new system, as their old login information wouldn’t work. “Just trying to pay my water bill,” one resident said in an email. “Didn’t recognize my valid username or password. Reregistered, confirmed my password (and) the password I ‘just’ registered is showing me: ‘Your login and/or password is not valid’ … That’s not the case. I copy and pasted. Your website is cactus.” Many residents also questioned the inconsistent amounts on their bills that have occurred for the last several months. Several people feel their water usage is being tracked incorrectly. “I understand the utility system conversion has been a disaster and still not completely resolved,” one resident wrote in an email to Mayor Othoniel Sierra in November. “I need some assistance get-
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