Authority and Tenant Rights and Obligations Prior to Termination of Service

Water and wastewater service terminations are not easy, neither for the customer nor for the Authority.

When a Landlord/Tenant relationship is added to the mix, the process becomes confusing and complicated quickly.

This webinar will provide an explanation of the rights and obligation of the Authority, the Tenant and the Landlord included in the Utility Service Tenants' Rights Act (USTRA).

Specific areas that will be discussed are:

• Identification and notification requirements for tenant occupied landlord ratepayer accounts
• Requirements for tenants to exercise right to continued service upon termination for nonpayment by landlord ratepayer
• Requirements before service may be disconnected at the request of a landlord ratepayer
• Considerations when third party sewer utility requests termination of water service for nonpayment of sewer bill

Panelists will also discuss case law decided under USTRA and, importantly, real 
world practical examples of issues and solutions under USTRA. Attendees will gain
an understanding of what can and what cannot be done as well as what should and 
what should not be done.

Presenters:

Kathy L. Pape, Esq.
Senior Counsel, Saxton & Stump LLC
Kathy L. Pape, Esq. practices in Saxton & Stump’s Regulatory and Government Affairs, Business and Corporate, Internal Investigations, and Mergers and Acquisitions groups. She leverages her experience gained as a CEO of the largest operating unit of a national utility to provide sound business solutions and effective advocacy for her clients. Kathy is skilled in developing solutions to the most difficult business and government issues. She helps government entities find ways to partner with business to address community issues while helping business to understand and effectively navigate the complexities of government regulation.

Before entering private practice, Kathy was head of American Water’s mid-Atlantic region which included Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland. Prior to that she was the president of Pennsylvania American Water, where she used her legal, financial, business and governmental experience to balance customer service, reasonable rates, infrastructure replacement and community engagement. Her efforts won many accolades from customers, regulators and legislators. She proved instrumental in the passage of legislation that ensured water quality and quantity and water system sustainability for decades.
 

Ade Bakare, Esq.
Member, McNees, Wallace & Nurick LLC
Ade practices in the firm’s Energy & Environmental Group. His practice focuses on issues involving water, sewer, and stormwater utility services, as well as electricity, natural gas, and oil pipeline matters.

Ade counsels several municipal water, sewer, and stormwater systems on both regulatory and transactional matters, including ratemaking, intermunicipal agreements, customer service issues, and asset restructuring. Ade also represents consumers of large investor-owned water utilities before state and federal administrative agencies.

Prior to joining McNees, Ade served as a prosecutor in the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission’s Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement (formerly, the Office of Trial Staff). As a PUC prosecutor, Ade participated in litigated and settled proceedings concerning water, sewer, electricity, and natural gas base rate filings.
 

Julie Quigley
Director of Customer Service
Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority
Julie A. Quigley rejoined The Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority in October 2017 as the Director of Administration and Information Technology. She spearheaded critical reforms and technological innovations in her oversight of Customer Service and IT, including cloud based applications for incoming customer call tracking and recording, service/work order processing, and assessment management.

Ms. Quigley led PWSA through the process of becoming a regulated utility under the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission as of April 1, 2018, driving business process changes, new data collection and reporting, and designing and implementing a suite of progressive customer assistance programs.

As Director of Customer Service, Ms. Quigley continues to seek pioneering methods to ensure the highest quality service to PWSA's water/wastewater customers. She has over 30 years of utility billing experience, both in the municipal authority and private sector.

More recently, she was utility billing manager for Jordan Tax Service, Inc., billing wastewater conveyance, sewage treatment, and/or stormwater for 24 municipalities. Ms. Quigley holds a BA from Duquesne University.


John Sweet, Esq.
Senior Attorney, Pennsylvania Utility Law Project
John serves as a Senior Attorney at PULP, where he provides legal representation, advocacy, training, consultation and support services in energy and utility matters affecting low-income residents of Pennsylvania. 

Prior to joining PULP, John worked as a staff attorney at North Penn Legal Services where he represented low-income clients in various matters including bankruptcy, foreclosure, and housing issues.

Prior to North Penn, John was a participant in the Dauphin County Attorney Incubator program where he represented both individual and corporate clients in various matters.


Cost: $40