Power company in polygamist towns is ordered to turn over list of clients
 Names, addresses will be used to serve property tax notices
 
By Ben Winslow
Deseret Morning News
 
HILDALE, Washington County — The names and the latest addresses of people in Hildale and Colorado City will soon be in the hands of the man appointed by a judge to oversee homes, businesses and property in this polygamous border town.

A judge in Salt Lake City has ordered Twin City Power (TCP) to hand over its records to the court-appointed special fiduciary of the United Effort Plan (UEP) trust.

"TCP has no standing to argue any claims of right or privileges for its customers/participants," 3rd District Court Judge Denise Lindberg wrote in a decision released Thursday.

Bruce Wisan, appointed to oversee the $110 million UEP trust, was pleased with the decision.

"That would be one of the most accurate ways of obtaining name and address info," he said Friday.

In Hildale and Colorado City, fences are going up to keep prying eyes out. Polygamist families are moving from house to house in the middle of the night to avoid being served with property tax notices.

"No one will respond to Bruce Wisan," said ex-FLDS member Andrew Chatwin, who has been helping to serve the property tax notices. "They just pack up in the middle of the night and move out. All the moving now is done in the middle of the night."

Wisan said some have taken the address numbers off of their homes to make it more difficult.

"They may move from house to house at midnight, but when the light of day comes they have to change the address of the power," he said.

Twin City Power has 10 days to comply with the subpoena.

E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com
 
deseretnews.com
Originally published Saturday, May 20, 2006
 
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