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Council approves loan-backed heating repair assistance for 129 Hawthorne Terrace; homeowner responsible for any higher bid cost
Summary
Torrington's special meeting approved funding to cover the lower of two contractor bids for a heating repair at 129 Hawthorne Terrace, with the homeowner required to pay any difference if she selects the higher-priced quote. Members discussed a PennyMac forbearance on the mortgage and a small unpaid sewer balance.
Torrington’s special City Council and WPCA meeting on Jan. 29 approved funding to support a homeowner’s heating repair at 129 Hawthorne Terrace, with the city covering the lower of two submitted contractor bids and the homeowner responsible for paying any additional cost if she chooses the pricier contractor.
Council members and the small cities committee discussed why two quotes were on file and how the program applies. Dan (Speaker 4), who reviewed the bids, said both quotations described the same scope of work and recommended approving the lower bid while leaving the homeowner free to choose either contractor as long as she covers any difference. "Now if the homeowner does have the opportunity...to choose the higher bid, she has to pay the city the difference between what she chose versus the lowest bid," Dan said.
Members also reviewed the homeowner’s mortgage account and a forbearance arrangement. Speaker 2 explained the account shows a forbearance plan with payments started in October and said such plans typically defer missed mortgage payments to the back end of the loan so borrowers can recover from hardship. "A forbearance agreement is typically entered into between the bank and the borrower...because the borrower has experienced a hardship of some kind," Speaker 2 said.
The group noted an outstanding sewer charge on the property ($448.37), but agreed the unpaid sewer balance could not be forced as a precondition of moving the repair funding forward through the loan program. The small cities committee voted to move the item forward; the council later reworded the motion to approve funding up to the lower submitted bid and took a voice vote in favor.
The council’s approval leaves the mortgage amount set at the lower quoted bid; if the homeowner selects a higher-cost contractor she will be required to pay the difference directly. No additional program conditions were added during the meeting, and staff were asked to continue processing the loan paperwork.
