Tucson City Council has taken the first step in designating the funds from raising water rates for Tucson Water customers in unincorporated Pima County by expanding the utility’s low-income program.
The council adopted changes Tuesday, Jan. 11, to improve access to Tucson Water’s low-income program while providing emergency assistance to customers experiencing hardships.
When City Council adopted differential water rates in June, it identified three spending areas to allocate the $9.9 million annual revenue it anticipates generating from the new rates: low-income assistance, climate resiliency and infrastructure upgrades.
People are also reading…
The water utility already offers discounts on monthly water bills for customers based on their monthly income and the number of individuals living at their residence. Customers previously had to prove the number of people in their homes by providing social security numbers for each resident.
Now, with the new guidelines adopted Tuesday, customers seeking assistance can self-attest to the number of people in their homes without having to provide Social Security numbers. And when customers provide proof of participation in public assistance programs such as Section 8, SNAP and Head Start, they will automatically qualify for a 25% discount.
“The goal is to try to make it easier for people to apply,” said Silvia Amparano, the deputy director of Tucson Water. “One of the reasons why people get denied is that they don’t have documentation to prove their identity, and so one of the goals for mayor and council was to make it as easy as possible and have them self-certify the total number of people who are living in the household.”
City Council also approved an emergency hardship program for customers experiencing job loss, serious illness or family loss regardless of their income. Amparano anticipates this assistance will be available by March 1.
Customers who can provide documentation proving one of these circumstances will be eligible for a credit up to $150 based on their need and availability of program funds. The average customer’s water bill is $42 a month, so the program would grant about 3½ months of coverage, on average.
“Our call takers who deal with customers on the front lines hear from people when they can’t pay a bill, the reasons why. Something’s happened in their life, it’s a temporary crisis that they need a little time or help to get their finances in order,” Amparano said. “This is just a little bit of help to get through that temporary crisis.”
City staff estimates the program additions will cost $350,000 to $450,000 a year, but Amparano called this a “rough estimate,” as it’s unclear how many customers will take advantage of the program.
At the highest estimate, the new options would bring Tucson Water’s annual low-income program cost from $1.8 million last fiscal year to about $2.25 million this year. For now, that money will come from general utility revenues, as differential rates …….