JONESBORO, Ga. — Residents at Jonesboro's Tara Woods apartments will once again have water after it was briefly shut off Monday morning.
According to the Clayton County Water Authority, the apartment's management company owed them nearly $98,000.
In a statement, Red Apple Investments, who own the complex, said they blame the majority of the outstanding balance on tenants who did not pay rent during the pandemic.
Code enforcement was seen knocking on doors Monday telling residents they had to leave, as the buildings were "uninhabitable."
At 2:20 p.m., the water authority announced they would reconnect service after receiving a payment of $68,675.57.
That leaves over $29,000 left to be paid.
“We are glad Red Apple Investments made the payment needed to bring water service back for their residents,” says Clayton County Water Authority CEO H. Bernard Franks. “We hope they will continue working to get caught up on their balance.”
Clayton County Water Authority said Red Apple Investments had made five payments in 24 months. A spokeswoman for the water company said if Red Apple Investments would have acted in good faith, they wouldn't be in the situation they are in today.
Clayton County Water Authority said they awarded the complex $15,000 in July of 2022 from funding the county received from the CARES Act to help them get back on track with their payments to prevent tenants from having their water turned off.
A payment plan was also set up for Red Apple Investments, but Clayton County Water Authority said they defaulted.
11Alive's Cody Alcorn had a conversation with the management of Tara Woods Apartments on Thursday and sent a text asking "...if the outstanding balance will be paid by Monday (July 10)." He received a response stating, "Yes, we are working with the water company to resolve this."
The water company said this is not what they wanted to happen and felt for the residents of the complex but said it's come to a point where something must be done.
Clayton County Water Authority said Tara Woods is the only complex in the county with anywhere close to this amount for an outstanding water bill.
The water company said this was not an overnight decision, and they've made several departments aware throughout the county, including code enforcement and the commissioner's office.