LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – FOX5 continues our coverage of the Henderson townhome community left in limbo. Last week, the City of Henderson notified each homeowner in the Somerset Park community they would be forced out of their homes if a plan was not in place to fix the broken pipes in the community.
As of Tuesday night, it appears that a plan is in place and no one will be forced to leave.
Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero called an emergency news conference Tuesday afternoon saying the city has found a solution. They will be making the repairs, replacing all the pipes in the private community and paying for it for now but ultimately the homeowners will be forced to pay.
That’s left residents and even one city council member with a lot of questions.
“I need to put on the record,” Councilwoman Carrie Cox started saying during Tuesday’s city council meeting.
“You cannot make a record,” Mayor Romero interjected.
“I was not briefed on anything that was just said,” Cox continued.
Councilwoman Cox represents the people of Somerset Park and met with them last week after going door-to-door in the community and looking at the broken pipes proposing an outside contractor come in and make repairs.
“You will not silence me,” Cox added.
“You were not silenced. You were briefed on this with a call,” Romero responded.
In a news conference right before the meeting, Romero announced the city had a solution for the community near Pabco and Sunset to fix the failing pipes.
“If the HOA cannot or will not fix this problem, we will. The city will front the cost of the repairs to the system ensuring that it is fixed properly,” Romero contended.
“Originally, I was told that it would be $1,000 a month on top our mortgage for about five years,” explained homeowner Rick Martinez. Martinez was first told repairs would be a million dollars plus but the city estimates it will be about $400,00 to 600,000.
“My wife has been telling me to calm down and take every day a step at a time, but it is pretty hard when your livelihood is at stake,” Martinez shared.
For mom of six Kendra Day, it is a relief to have a plan in place, even if just temporarily.
“The fact that no one has to leave their home is amazing. We don’t want to be uprooted. However, the liens on the property, that is a bit scary because then they can still come in and take our homes from us,” Day stated.
The city says the repair cost will be attached to each individual unit through at tax lien. With 85 townhomes, it’s about $7,000 each which the mayor hopes can be broken down into payments of about $300 per month over two years.
The mayor said what happened with Somerset Park cannot and must not be allowed to happen again. The city will be seeking a change of law during the next legislative session to make sure cities have power to make sure private water and sewer systems are not allowed to fail. They say dozens of other properties in city could be in a similar situation in the future.
Copyright 2024 KVVU. All rights reserved.
