I talked to a person at the Salvation Army, they started a fund for Billy's residents to get caught back up on their bills. People can send checks to:
Salvation Army
514 Sutherland Ave
Janesville, WI 53545
Make sure you put "Billy Kesselring" in the memo of the check. The money will go toward the individual families rent owed to Billy and be sent direct to Alliant so everyone gets paid. The families who use these funds also will go through some financial budgeting classes offered by the Salvation Army. I think this is a great plan for everyone. Also the donations are tax deductible. I believe all the details above are correct but I do not work for the Salvation Army or for Billy so you can double check anything I just said. The Salvation Army's phone number is 608-757-8300. I also heard that a plan is in place so the lights will not go off tomorrow.

melstew47 - I am not in a position to offer assistance but here are some sources that may. The nearest Wisconsin Small Business Development Center is at UW-Whitewater: http://www.uww.edu/sbdc/. The WI Dept. of Commerce has information at: http://www.commerce.state.wi.us/BD/BD-Sm.... And finally, the U.S. Small Business Administration has a business planner that has a great section on business planning: http://www.sbaonline.sba.gov/smallbusine....

melstew47, I made my check out to Billy Kesselring but you could probably do it either way. I pay my Alliant bill online so not to use a stamp so it is easier just to write it to Billy. Billy's address is PO Box 1764 Janesville, WI 53547

i got the money order for him,do we make it out to mr. kesselring?or alliant.please let me know thank you.

intrigued,a better business plan would probably help him immensly,can you assist him or know of someone who can help him? because thats a great idea, so this doesnt ever happen again.

Sounds like a nice man. Unfortunately, that alone does not make you a successful businessperson. A thorough understanding of the landlord/property ownership business and perhaps a better business plan would help him immensely.

I'm still willing to also send $$ for the cause.He has made arrangements so the power will not be turned off !! Good luck to all and I think this will teach everyone a life lesson.

very good point 87 if everyone pitches in mr. kesselring could get the bill paid or at least arrangements made on it,this man helped them and now they need to dig into their pockets an help him. an for those who dont want to,as bad as it may sound, let the eviction process begin,no one lives anywhere for free, and for those who are unable then go to your resources and try to get help for the one who helped you.

this man as kind as he may be, took a hard hit with the utility company. he needs to get this taken care of even if it means a bankrupcy,i believe if he does a chapter 13 he may be able to keep some of his assets, correct me if im wrong.im not a lawyer an dont know all of his financial trouble. i also think this man was taken advantage of, not by all but by some.how many of those tenants had alot of necessities they didnt need, such as cable, cigarettes,alcohol,etc; im not going to say a cell a phone, because a phone is important to have.if and when this man can get this taken care of,it would be wise that he rent his properties without utilities furnished.the ones who pay their rent should not go without utilities,and the ones who dont,will need to do like everyone else does, go to energy assistance,and other resources.a good heart can only go so far. good luck mr.kesselring, i hope all works out for you and your tenants.

mickie, I agree, let's hope nobody who is current with Billy gets the boot. When Billy purchased these properties 2 years ago (or whenever it was) I am sure he had an average of un-paid or late renters. Last year there was nothing in the news about Billy not making his Alliant payment so he must have paid it. This year everything changed with the economy so many more tenants are behind than anticipated. $30k sounds like a lot but divide it by 100 units and it is reasonable. I personally had to make a deal with Alliant on my own house being behind by $2,100 come April 15th. I had to pay $766 to not be shut off and have 3 months to clear up the rest. Use the same math for Billy and maybe he can keep the lights on for $11,100. If all his tenants who are behind on rent (61) would pay $182.00 he would be ok.

SuperDave, thanks for noticing and a chance to connect the dots a little better. Alliant Energy has a monopoly. That says a lot. They are under little pressure to be efficient or competitive—they just need to convince a small group of unelected officials to let them charge as much as they can get away with. At a time when most businesses worldwide are barely holding on, Alliant is making huge profits. Their behavior and bookkeeping activities are structured to minimize the profits they report since more profit means more tax. So, they really are well off at the expense of our society at large.

What’s mostly not okay is the lack of compassion they exercise for people and businesses. In our society, if you lose electrical service, you may as well live in a tent and eat dirt. Think about the last time you experienced a power outage. Things get primitive real fast.

Alliant treats commercial accounts quite differently that residential accounts. They will shut your business down very quickly if you can’t pay. If you’ve had some trouble paying on time, they demand an excessively high deposit. If you can’t pay the deposit, they will shut you down with no mercy, even if you are current with your payments! Businesses here are still trying to survive the added energy costs and lost revenues from the flood of 2008. There’s no help from Alliant.

This behavior is allowed by law—and that’s the real problem. The world (and our state) is very different right now than it was just a couple years ago. A bunch of state laws need to be changed to cope with today’s realities, or some very bad things could happen quite quickly. (The laws that govern the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development are a glaring example of where immediate change is needed.) We in Rock County only vote for a handful of officials at the state level. Those few elected people are the only ones who can fix things, and they need to be about it.

justmyopinion48 I understand that Alliant does not get paid for their sponsorship of the AEC. My point is what tangible return do they get for spending our money for sponsorship?

Sort of like is my US Cellular bill cheaper because of their sponsorship of a major stadium?

It must cost something to name a venue for 20 years? The cost is undoubtedly passed along as they do not pay their executives or top employees any less.

I hope you understand my line of thought here. I do not buy into marketing hype. I am a bonafide Clark Howard penny pinching realist.

87- I understand what you are saying. But lets say you were one of the people paying your rent/utilities on time- and because I did not pay mine, then you get booted to the street. People do not buy properties around here to rent unless they see a profit at some point. Sure it sucks your in hardship, but even just by you being late- that hurt everyone else. This landlord should have done what he could to a certain point- good greif with 30,000.00 owed- it seems really nobody was paying rent! How absurd.

Sometimes you are just not a good businessman. It is a shame, but is reality.

Bills do suck and get in the way of things we want to do, and things that are fun, but that is just part of being an adult. It isn't all fun and games anymore, Uncle Sam steps in and the rules of the games change. :(

Superdave, Right? I found that silly too! There is always the option to live without electricity, fuel and convenience stores. It has been done, and can be done. But then I would like to hear what you think sucks the life out of you, your hard work making it on no modern conveniences or a little plug in that makes like a lot easier that you pay people to accommodate you with THEIR hard work?

stewymama: That's some mighty speculation there. Did you use any electricity when you typed that? I don't agree that a utility company "are heartless souls that suck the life out of good hard working familys that try to keep there bills paid".
You are so silly :O)

Alliant Energy does not get money from "sponsoring" the Alliant Center.

Also, Alliant sends notices each and every month to everyone who is behind on their payment(s). If the landlord has all the utilities in his/her name, then they are charging for utilities with rent, and the landlords utility payments should be current. It is admirable to want to help people, but Alliant has every right to expect to be paid for what they have to pay for: they produce and/or buy electricity & gas, they have employees to pay, etc.

While it is also true that names are often put into the landlords name to avoid tenants' bad credit records (and I'm certainly not implying that his tenants have bad credit), it is also possible that the buildings are wired so that they have one meter instead of individual meters. It is very costly to meter each unit separately. This also may be why the utilities are in the landlord's name.

If this young man, all good intentions aside, has purchased that many rental units in that short a period of time, he is most likely in over his head.

A REASONABLE payment plan with Alliant would have avoided this situation.

alliant energy should check there own employes and see if any of them are in default onthere own bills.i bet you a buffalo nickel not one of them well be disconnected.they are heartless souls that suck the life out of good hard working familys that try to keep there bills paid.

I think the point makeitbetter was trying to make it is time to build more nuclear power plants in this country like it or not. Rates are through the roof and Alliant is doing nothing to become more efficient.

Automated Meters added 2 BILLION dollars to OUR overhead last year at more cost of lost jobs.

Does anyone know if sponsoring the Alliant Energy Center makes them money?

DAWIC....YIPPEEE, you explained it perfectly! I am guessing also from serving in the armed forces he also saw a tremendous amount of struggling, and had the 'save the world' fever. It is a great fever to come down with, but unfortunately, it doesn't always end up the way you hope. I am hoping that this experience hasn't hardened his heart, and he will continue to want to help people. And now with this lesson learned, he will be better equipped to do so.

87--If as we all assume, utilities are included in the rent then yes the landlord would be better off with a vacant apartment than renting to someone who is likely to not pay. He's just incurring more expense by occupying his units with people who can't pay. While I don't believe that Billy's motives were entirely altruistic neither do I believe they were of a selfish nature. I think they more likely reflect a lack of experience in the rental business. Assuming he's only been at this for 2 years and took on a total of 19 properties all at once he more than likely was overwhelmed to begin with and then hit with the slump in the economy his lack of experience did him in. Having been in the real estate rental business for over 35 yrs. I'm still learning new lessons both good and bad.

There is also SHARE. It's a cooperative food bank. There is a location in Beloit and one in Janesville.

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/ Here is the website. It is wonderful.

DIGITAL, I sincerely find that hard to believe. Some companies are harder to deal with than others, but with large cities and counties like Alliant services, they have to adjust their policies I am sure. As some have said, they are a business as well, and do have to watch their bottom line as well.
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As far as help in our community, on our most recent electric bill from Rock County Electric there was information about utility assistance (heat, electric and propane gas). It was somewhere in Beloit. I know the cut off is in May and there is a waiting list, but I would certainly look into that. I signed up for that, but later cancelled being I felt as long as our family can scrounge up the money somehow to pay our bill, we need to leave it there to others who truly can't. There is also foodshare, WIC, and badgercare. I know that these are sometimes shameful for some to apply for, but if you are truly in need and unemployed, this is there for YOU, and you should definitely apply. Sometimes you are denied, but keep applying, don't GIVE UP! Also, there is a program which I will look up and post on here because I can't remember the name, but it is a program that you can pay a reduced amount of money for groceries. You preorder them, and I believe it is like 65-100.00 worth of groceries for 30.00. They have other items to choose from too. There is specifically a package for single people with prepared meals for a month for like 25.00 I think. And this is done nationwide through a church, and the closest pickup for us here in Southern WI is Durand, IL or Freeport, IL. But with the money saved, it is well worth it. I am going to look up the website right now.

gmaof3...

...unless he had separate utilities installed, he has to cover the utilities on his own hook. That part comes down to the fact that you can't "pool" utilities and split the cost among tenants.

alliant looks for any reason to cut off power. they'll cut someone off if they forget to pay a buck.

There is no help in Rock County for housing,insurance,utilities. We are married,no children,mid 50's,LAID OFF,lifelong TAX payers who due to this economy have had to pare to the BARE necesseties,and ask for a hand-UP,only to be told there is no money ,and or a loooonnng waiting list.This man trying to be helpful now is treated like a criminal for his good deeds.Alliant energy could care less,PAY-UP or be shut off.PERIOD!

Perhaps he needs to change his rental agreements. Put the utility bills in the renter's name. At least he wold be out from under the financial responsibility for the additional delinquent costs.

I wouldn't be surprised if some of these tenants already OWE Alliant from previous rentals. The debt owed follows you, wherever you go. If you try to get new utility service at a different address, you're denied until the previous bill is paid off.

The best of intentions can burn you.... You're not really helping others in the long run, if you can't be responsible yourself,
in business.
Sad story...

mickie, SuperDave & truecitizen, You are basically saying if they don't pay evict them and in a few cases Billy has evicted. What you need to also consider is that many who are behind on rent will catch up. I rented from Billy and could not pay my total bill but he still gave me the apartment (only needed for 30 days) and it may have taken me about 4 months but I did pay Billy 100%. Would it be smarter for Billy to say no to me because it would take me too long to pay and let the apartment sit empty? If only 30% of his tenants are up to date should he really evict 61 families and have 70% of his apartments empty? I am sure if Billy had people with money knocking down his door to get a room he would evict some to make room. But when faced the choice of an empty room earning $0.00 compared to a "promise" or partial payment I am pretty sure most of us would take what we can get.

Rummage my bill has been late before- so I have gotten the notices.. :( This year I was WAY behind, but they did work with me on a payment plan and I have stuck to it, thats why I`m still typing here..lol..We have to remember whether we like it or not, that Alliant is a business.No, I do not like the fact that the raises are endless, but none-the-less I use their service.So pay I must!

MakeItBetter: I see your 10:59pm comment, but I still do not understand your point(s) in your 9:40pm comments. Like ThatOneFella, you seem to be "shooting from the hip". Basically, your comments are wasted on this reader. If I can't understand your point(s),chances are neither can most others. Truly - no offense to either of you, but your posts just seem to be rambling comments (to me).

ThatOneFella: Uh...thanks I guess. You're kind of all over the place, didn't really answer my questions. But thanks for responding.

My appologies to Marc Perry for a previous comment. He truly does seem to understand the tough situation that landlords are in, especially when trying to provide for lower income families. Sorry for the outburst, Marc.

Point taken MICKIE. I have never had a problem with paying my utilities, thankfully, so I am unaware of the procedures. Sometimes things just go wrong I guess. :(

Rummage- although I sometimes applaud your sweet posts..It is insulting for this man to try and claim any innocence in this..**(Aliiant sends notices all year on bills that are behind- reminding that not only will cut-off occur, but they can also sue for 2-3 times more then the original amount).** Infact what he has done to the people who have paid their rent (with utilities included)is nothing short of stealing from them.. Like I said, sad situation for all- but really sad for the people who had been paying.

Alliant Energy has a monopoly, and I think they've stayed pretty profiable lately. They aren't even trying to help with anything during this critical period of depression. They cut no breaks for people who were finacially devastated by the flood of 2008. Anyone with a commercial (which these are) vs. residential account knows how inflexible and Draconion they are.

Our elected officials (Robson, Hixson, Doyle) need to fix this or get out of the way. Billy has been working with Senator Feingold for months on how to deal with the real low/no income housing problem. Thank's Russ!

Marc Perry, spend all your money (including your retirement funds) on helping with low income housing, then you can talk. For now, shut up!

Our elected officials need to deal with this now, get out of the way, or take the blame for the anarchy that is on the way.

Robson, Hixson, Benedict, Sheridan, and Doyle -- our state elected officials -- get control of the Alliant monopoly or the blood wll be on your hands!

SuperDave: What I meant was, in a metphorical sense, if you take in a stray kitten without having it spayed... Sooner or later you'll have more kittens than you can handle. Once again I make the point of saying his heart was in the right place and he got screwed over, but he should have looked out for number one (himself, family, etc). Has anyone looked up the winter eviction laws,or do I have to?

I believe this is the same story reported on two nights ago on the 9 oclock news (Fox). In that report, two of the people (and child) who were tenants in these topic rental units, were familiar faces. One of them was a person recently on the electronic billboards as a wanted subject. It was already reported there and on the news (for the rental-utility issue), so I will tell his name....Calvin Mangruem. He buys and deals drugs.
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The news showed them standing there like inocent victims of the economy or something. This guy has spent most of his time in jail since he was a teenager. He touts his strength by working out in the cellblocks so I've heard. I wonder if he is employed anywhere, now that he is out.
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I make little excuse for people, and I recognize there are a "few" who are unable to provide, pay for, or otherwise make it in this economy, but most can. I pay all of my bills, even when I have to work extra or get rid of something. Having a life in crime and living like a bum doesn't cut it. Some of these tenants are simply taking the responsiblity to task and many are not.
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I hope the "few" tenants who are truly unable and/ or, are trying, can cope with this. Hopefully this landlord doesn't try to use this debt to get a handout. The news story reported the same as above, and it sounds 'off' to me, and I suppose I (AND YOU) will end up having to pay a small portion of 'their' bills now! It will affect your wallet. ***I am tired of seeing people all over this country, who don't deserve the hand out, getting it anyway***

Ok. He knew what he was getting into. Point taken. But, also, the whole story is not being told as to what his intentions were to try and beat the bank so to speak. I am sure he wasn't trying to get away with something. His intentions were good, he just didn't realize that they were detrimental as the spokesperson stated in the article. Is there really a need to beat the man up? I am sure he is doing enough of that to himself already.

Hey... anyone know the email or address for any of the AIG or other "big bank" types who might want to share some bonus money for a good cause? What happened to not investing only to make more money, but investing in the community...to feel good! I'd like him for a neighbor! Where can I mail some money to help him and all those people?!?

As a past landlord myself, no it is not against the law to evict people in the winter. Breech of contract happens, eviction happens. Met the guy at an apartment meeting. Not the whole story reported. He was sent several notices and knew the cut off was the 15th just like everyone else. Absord alot of properties at once from the same seller. Knew what he was getting into.

This all seems a little odd.. - I ask you this Mr. Kesselring- how in the heck could you be under the assumtion that if you were atleast paying something that you could not be turned off?? You are kidding right? I mean I am going out on a limb here and assuming that you have had to pay Alliant on your own before..How could you believe that without paying these bills timely- that you your properties would not lose their utilities??
I find this more neglegent on your part, that although you may have wanted to help some tenants, you hurt all as a whole.. I am sorry, not trying to be a witch, but c`mon you are a landlord and you have paid your bills in the past (even when not a landlord) and knew the consequences of not paying them..Sad situation for all.

It says "He owes $30,000 to Alliant Energy", meaning the landlord owes. So it looks like utilities were included in the rent, which is largely unpaid (your second question). I don't know the answer to your first question.
I still do not understand all of what you're saying. "I'd help Kesserling out if it was needed and he wasn't TOO giving". What does that mean? I'm sure he would appreciate your help now!
And what does "I'd call it a wash" mean? What are you saying, do you mean if you were the landlord? Please explain, you are forcing me to guess what it is you're trying to say.
Thanks.

It means that if he trusted these people enough to pay their utilities then maybe he should have looked out for number one first. As I said, I don't know the situation and I asked a few questions to clarify. No harm meant. I'd help Kesserling out if it was needed and he wasn't TOO giving.

ThatOneFella: You said "I have no qualms about helping anyone out that is in need, especially Kesselring and people like him, but if he was allowed to be used (if thats the case)through trust I'd call it a wash".
What does that mean? Please explain.

It is really refreshing to see someone who is just not out there for himself, someone who cares about other people. If there were more people like this in this world today maybe some of this hate would go away, it really feels like we live in an angry world these days. Thank you Mr Kesserling for being someone who cares.

I think what Kesserling has done is great, but I have two questions. First, isn't there a law against evictions during the winter months(the kind that straps Alliant during the same period) which may have helped him get behind the eight ball? Secondly, does the rent include utilities or is he getting slammed by Alliant just to have electricity to the buildings themselves? I have no qualms about helping anyone out that is in need, especially Kesselring and people like him, but if he was allowed to be used (if thats the case)through trust I'd call it a wash.

Thanks for this touching story. It's too bad that the banks get trillions now and obstruct any reasonable reform in bankruptcy even as a guy like this can't get any federal aid in any form. I really feel for him. How difficult it must be to evict a family with a small child during a cold winter, knowing that they might have to sleep in their car?

MIKKI, I am sure those tenants that can pay their rent are grateful they can. There are people out there with the best of intent, but this economy has dealt them a crummy hand, and they truly are deserving of help. There are people out there that use good hearted people, but in the end, they are found out. I am so happy to see a person in the position to build or break a person's spirit, is choosing to build it!

This man is a true gift. I would be honored to have him as a friend. Good intentions don't pay the bills, but they certainly fill the heart!

In this case, the utilities are threatened because of the non-paying tenants. I would have to agree Mikki, this situation was not set up right from the start. But the utilities would not be as far behind had he evicted the non-paying tenants earlier. No good deed goes unpunished!

So the tenants that DO pay the rent on time suffer because of those that don't. How fair is that?

I'm sure some of these tenants are doing the best they can. But I've had tenants who, though they have jobs, just come up with excuse after excuse after excuse. I learned after being burned - the rent must be kept up-to-date. I would rather have an empty apartment than a non-paying tenant. That may sound harsh, but there are those that will stay there *forever*, perfectly happy to have the free place to live. And when it hits the fan (for example you can't pay the mortgage), they will be long gone. Again, it's great to try and work with tenants through tough times, but as a a rule, they need to pay or move out. I hope this situation works out for all involved.

Than you Stacy Vogel for getting this part of the story out there. My only complaint is that you did not try harder to contact Billy before going to print with the initial story but perhaps you just had too tight of a deadline. I wonder if the rush to publish a story at times should be weighed more against the initial damage to a person's reputation caused by them not having an opportunity to respond in a timely manner. Thanks again for the continuing reporting and telling the other side.