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3/17/2021
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RI Senate passes resolution asking Auditor General to review Kent County Water Authority
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 Sen. Raptakis blasts KCWA press release criticizing the resolution trying to protect the ratepayers while issuing press release dated ‘September 14, 2020’
STATE HOUSE – Last night, the Rhode Island Senate passed a resolution (2021-S 0628), sponsored by Sen. Leonidas P. Raptakis (D-Dist. 33, Coventry, East Greenwich, West Greenwich), requesting that the state’s Auditor General, Dennis Hoyle, conduct a thorough review of the Kent County Water Authority (KCWA) and its operations.
The request comes after the legislators have been inundated for the past year with complaints from ratepayers regarding large irregular bills and unsatisfactory answers and restitution from the KCWA. All attempts by the legislators to rectify the situation with the partnership of the KCWA have not alleviated the problems suffered by the ratepayers.
“The KCWA is the second largest water company in our state and for them to treat their customers this way has been a complete travesty. It’s unfortunate that the Senate has had to resort to requesting the Auditor General’s help but the KCWA has been uncooperative and unwilling to fix these problems that have plagued the ratepayers over the past year. They even threatened to shut off people’s water during the pandemic. The KCWA has refused to listen to any of our recommendations and their behavior and service displays a level of disregard for their ratepayers that is truly unacceptable. It is our hope that the Auditor General can get to the bottom of what is causing the multitude of problems that have come out of the KCWA over recent memory and through his review, the ratepayers of the KCWA will finally get the proper service that they pay so much money for,” said Senator Raptakis.
Cosponsors of the resolution included Sen. Hanna M. Gallo (D-Dist. 27, Cranston, West Warwick), Sen. Gordon E. Rogers (R-Dist. 21, Foster, Coventry, Scituate, West Greenwich), Sen. John Burke (D-Dist. 9, West Warwick), Sen. Bridget G. Valverde (D-Dist. 35, North Kingstown, East Greenwich, Narragansett, South Kingstown), Sen. Kendra Anderson (D-Dist. 31, Warwick, Cranston), Sen. Elaine J. Morgan (R-Dist. 34, Hopkinton, Charlestown, Exeter, Richmond, West Greenwich), Sen. Jeanine Calkin (D-Dist. 30, Warwick), Sen. Alana M. DiMario (D-Dist. 36, North Kingstown, Narragansett), and Senate Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey (D-Dist. 29, Warwick).
The resolution was seconded and passed by a majority of the Rhode Island Senate.
The resolution follows a letter sent previously to the Auditor General on February 24 by Senator Raptakis and several legislators representing Kent County in which they cite troubling billing increases that have led hundreds of ratepayers to file formal disputes with the KCWA after experiencing abnormal and dramatic increases in their water bills. In many cases, the increases in billing followed the replacement of ratepayers’ water meters.
The KCWA sent out a press release today, March 17, attacking Senator Raptakis for introducing the resolution.
“Sending out a press release attacking me, the resolution, and everyone fighting for fair and accurate water bills is sadly not surprising. I stand by my comments calling the KCWA ‘the three stooges of water utilities,’ which was further demonstrated by the date on today’s press release reading ‘September 14, 2020.’ If they can’t even get the date right on a highly unprofessional press release, how does anyone expect them to provide accurate professional service to the ratepayers of Kent County? Their claims of transparency run counter to the experiences that other legislators, the public and I have had when dealing with the KCWA and although they claim otherwise, they seem awfully nervous about the Auditor General getting to the bottom of this giant mess that is the KCWA’s doing,” said Senator Raptakis.
For more information, contact:
Andrew Caruolo, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-6124
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