A Hawaiian couple received some shocking news after discovering an electric bill in their mail which said they owed $18,000 for the streetlights in their neighborhood.
Desha-Ann and Rashaan Kealoha discovered a letter from the Hawaiian Electric Company informing them that they owed thousands of dollars for the streetlights in their neighborhood, according to KHON2. The couple was told they had “an outstanding balance of $17,860.09” due to several unpaid statements.
“Hawaiian Electric recently learned that you both own Halemaluhia Place,” the letter from HECO reads. “Because you own the street upon which the streetlights are located, Hawaiian Electric believes that you are responsible for the payment of electric energy supplied to these streetlights.”
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“I was shocked, overwhelmed, and confused, but still remained hopeful that there is some solution to this,” Desha-Ann told the outlet. “My husband has a colorful vocabulary — he was upset.”
The electric company has been trying to discover who is the owner of the neighborhood streetlights since June 2020, according to the letter the couple received.
HECO told the couple that it was initially believed that both the county and city of Honolulu had been dedicated to overseeing the management of the street. The electric company “asked the City to take over the account,” but the city denied that it was responsible for the street.
“The other neighbors have heard that our house owns the road as well but have never heard about HECO looking for payment to public streetlights,” Desha-Ann told the outlet.
After speaking with her neighbors, Desha-Ann says that she has realized this is part of a “long-time issue.” When many homes in the area are built, they lack the proper infrastructure needed due to skimping, “private roads” are then pawned as being the homeowners’ responsibility in an attempt to get away with the scheme, Desha-Ann told the outlet.
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While HECO will not expect the Kealoha’s to pay the $18,000 electric bill, they are investigating who is responsible for the payments, according to the outlet.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Hawaiian Electric Company and to Desha-Ann Kealoha for a statement but did not receive a response back.
