Caritas representative says earlier rent notices were rescinded and utility pass-throughs limited to new tenants

Liberty Gutierrez, representing the on-site management (Keritas) for owner Caritas, addressed residents' allegations about rent and utilities at Riverdale Estates and described operational and accounting steps the management has taken. "We rescinded them," Gutierrez said of earlier notices that followed an incorrect calculation, and she explained the property implemented CPI-based increases aligned to the 1983 base rather than a flat market reset.

Gutierrez said utility pass-throughs were rolled out in August 2025 for 30 new residents only and that the manager calculates pass-throughs by dividing monthly bills across all 185 spaces. She provided year-to-date figures for utility income and expenses (sewer income $5,248 vs expense $72,580; water income $820.75 vs expense $7,562; trash income $7,437 vs expense $115,495) and said, based on projections, it could take a decade to reach a breakeven point for some charges if applied as a capital recovery. She also described Caritas Foundation assistance provided to residents (examples: $6,000 rental assistance and $4,000 maintenance assistance for Riverdale to date).

Gutierrez repeated that Caritas is a nonprofit owner and that Keritas is the third-party management company; she encouraged ongoing coordination with resident committees and said management remains open to further discussion. The commission asked staff to research ordinance history and prior hardship applications and to convene a follow-up meeting with the resident and the city attorney.