JANESVILLE — Alliant Energy won't disconnect power to 14 properties in Rock County after it established a payment plan Tuesday with the owner.
"We have come to an agreement on a payment arrangement with him, and assuming that he continues to live up to the terms of the payment arrangement, there shouldn't be any disconnects," said Steve Schultz, Alliant spokesman.
Billy Kesselring owes about $30,000 to Alliant on 14 properties in Janesville, Edgerton and Milton. He fell behind on the payments because many of his tenants are out of work and haven't been paying rent, he said.
Kesselring declined to reveal details of the plan. He said he hopes this experience makes his tenants realize how important it is to pay rent.
"As long as tenants continue to pay rent so I can continue to make those payments, that will be good," he said.
Kesselring received notices of disconnection for the properties last week. Community and government agencies feared the disconnections would force more than 100 people to leave their homes and made plans for an emergency homeless shelter.
Now, that shelter won't be needed, said Karen Lisser, ECHO executive director.
ECHO will continue to devote extra resources to tenants who haven't been paying rent, she said.
"(Kesselring) has to follow a payment plan which is based on people paying their rent," she said. "If we can buy somebody another month's rent, and then of course move them in the direction of being able to pay the next month's rent, then that makes the problem easier to solve."
Local agencies also are offering a workshop Thursday at the Janesville Salvation Army for tenants behind on rent.
Kesselring handed out flyers about the workshop Monday night and has received several phone calls from tenants planning to attend, he said.
He said he will be stricter about the need to pay rent in the future, but the bigger problem is making sure there are enough jobs available in the community so renters can earn income.
"Hopefully, there will be enough programs both in assistance and job creation through our local government, city and county and state that evictions can be kept to a minimum," he said.