New Haven Independent

Beaver Hill’s Carl Goldfield, the president of the Board of Aldermen, wants the Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority (WPCA) to take a look at implementing the same kind of competitive bidding process for marshals that the city is in the process of creating.

Gabe Varca, the WPCA’s acting director, was receptive to the idea. “We’re going to watch the city,” he said in a phone conversation, “and if there are savings, we’ll tag along and see if we can go down the same path.”

Goldfield’s suggestion came at a recent meeting of the aldermanic Legislation Committee, where legislators discussed a new bidding process that aims to drive down the fees that state marshals charge for serving the city’s foreclosure suits. Click here to read about the proposed reform.

Goldfield wasn’t entirely sold on the Request for Proposals (RFP) that has been drafted by city purchasing agent Mike Fumiatti. He wants to make sure lawyers can still use their favorite state marshals for city foreclosure work, instead of being forced to rotate through a list. And he wants to make sure that marshals with big operations don’t drive the little guys out of the business.

But Goldfield did say the RFP idea is one worth replicating. The draft RFP, which would make marshals name their fees through a competitive bidding process, is based on one used by the housing authority.

As he listened to the proposal, another agency popped into his mind — the WPCA.

“There have been a number of foreclosures from the WPCA,” Goldfield said in a conversation after the meeting. “If we’re trying to keep down expenses for people who are getting behind on taxes and municipal charges, over which we have some control, I think we should look as broadly as we can to see where we can save our taxpayers some money.”

Aldermen don’t have direct control over the WPCA anymore because the city turned over control of the agency to a new regional quasi-public enttity in mid-2005, reaping one-time revenue and turning it into an independent, suburban-dominated utility.

Since then, the agency has come under fire for its aggressive debt-collection practices, which were adopted in attempt to boost a 92 percent collection rate that has cost it $1 million in lost revenue. The agency has a policy of filing foreclosure lawsuits once a ratepayer’s debt reaches $1,000 or falls 90 days in arrears. (Click here, here, here, and here for previous stories on the subject.)

In some cases, homeowners have been foreclosed on for bills as low as $793. In foreclosure court, they see those debts double, piled on with fees, including those from state marshals.

The agency has now filed such suits against more than 160 city property owners since it became an independent authority in 2005. It filed at least 45 foreclosure suits in 2008, according to court records.

Varca (pictured), the head of the WPCA, said the agency doesn’t directly hire any state marshals. The agency works with a list of collection attorneys, who in turn hire marshals to serve paperwork.

Varca said he would be interested in cutting down foreclosure fees.

“What we would consider is, as we watch the city’s policy change, if they save money, it would be something we would consider asking our collection attorneys to implement,” Varca said.

To deliver his proposal, Goldfield said he’d like to pass an aldermanic resolution urging the WPCA board to adopt a bidding process for marshals who do WPCA-related work.

“I’m certain that the board would give strong consideration to a proposal like that,” said East Shore Alderman Al Paolillo, the one aldermanic representative on the board of the WPCA. He declined to comment further until he could examine the proposal.

Previous Independent coverage of New Haven’s foreclosure crisis:

• Foreclosure Evictions Halted
• Foreclosure Fee-Slashing Judge Leaves Town
• Hazel St. Sale Reflects Economic Climate
• She’ll Be Watching Deutsche Bank
• A Last Pre-Foreclosure Look At A Lifetime Past
• New Yorker Snags Foreclosed-Upon Gem
• Foreclosure Dream Goes Sour
• Judge Slashes Foreclosure Bounty
• Tax Break Saves Woman’s House
• Bank Replaces “Gunshot Alley” Landlord
• Foreclosure Bill OK’d
• Singh Seeks Home For A Song
• Foreclosure’s Neighbor Worries More About Speeding
• Networking Replaces Foreclosure at Christy’s
• Foreclosure Bargain — & Renewal — Jeopardized
• Bank Outbids Akbar; Family May Keep Home
• “So Don’t Worry About Pablo”
• Bankruptcy Postpones Foreclosure
• Next-Door Foreclosures, 53 Years Apart
• They Met On Foreclosure Way
• Little Garage Draws Big Bids
• A 2nd Chance on Lewis Street
• Foreclosure Attracts New Breed of “Specialist”
• In Foreclosures, Judge’s Hands Tied
• Home Saved From Foreclosure. Cycle, Too
• A House For Precious?
• Deutsche Bank Grabs Dixwell Condo
• Reluctant Bidder Snags F. Haven Bargain
• Well, There’s Always Powerball
• Neighbors Retrieve Home From Bank
• Somebody Has Plans For Bassett Street
• Foreclosed, the Khennavongs Leave the Santanas
• Foreclosure Steal May Be Too Good
• 2nd Foreclosure in 3 Months Dims Bright St.
• After Foreclosure, W’ville Owner Still Hopes To Sell
• He’s Not Buying, Yet
• Quiet Foreclosure on Porter Street
• 3 Minutes Too Late
• Historic Gambardella Property Foreclosed
•2 Homes Lost, 1 Gained
• “Everybody’s Got To Eat”
• More Foreclosures, More Signs
• Foreclosure Sale Benefits Archie Moore’s
• Rescue Squad Swings Into Action
• A Bidder Shows Up
• Bank Beats Tanya’s Bid
• Westville Auction Draws A Crowd
• DeStefano: Foreclosure Plan Ready
• Can They Help?
• “We Should Over-Regulate These Bastards”
• Rosa Hears of Rescues
• WPCA Grilled on Foreclosures
• WPCA’s Targets Struggle To Dig Out
• Sue The Subprimers?
• WPCA Hearing Delayed
• Megna’s “Blood Boils” at WPCA Tactics
• Goldfield Wants WPCA Answers
• 2 Days, 8 Foreclosure Suits
• WPCA Goes On Foreclosure Binge
• A Guru Weighs In
• WPCA Targets Church
• Subprime Mess Targeted
• Renters Caught In Foreclosure King’s Fall
• She’s One Of 1,150 In The Foreclosure Mill
• Foreclosures Threaten Perrotti’s Empire
•“I’m Not Going To Lay Down And Let Them Take My House”
• Struggling Couple Sues Over “Scam”

To learn about the ROOF Project, a community-wide effort to help New Haveners navigate the foreclosure crisis, click here.

The following links are to various materials and brochures designed to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.

How to prepare a complaint to the Department of Banking; Department of Banking Online Assistance Form; Connecticut Department of Banking, Avoiding Foreclosure; FDIC Consumer News; Statewide Legal Services of Connecticut, Inc; Connecticut Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service.

For lawyer referral services in New Haven, call 562-5750 or visit this website. For the Department of Social Services (DSS) Eviction Foreclosure Prevention Program (EFPP), call 211 to see which community-based organization in the state serves your town.

Click here for information on foreclosure prevention efforts from Empower New Haven.