Agenda - 12-07-2020; 4-a - OWASA Update on Unpaid Bills

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2 Orange Water and Sewer Authority OWASA OWASA is Carrboro-Chapel Hill's not-for-profit public service agency delivering high quality water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services. DATE: November 17, 2020 TO: Orange County Board of County Commissioners FROM: Ray DuBose, P.E., Chair of the OWASA Board of Directors SUBJECT: Customer Assistance for OWASA Bills The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on the physical and economic health of our community. During this time, as always, the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) takes our responsibility to protect public health and support a vibrant economy in Carrboro, Chapel Hill, and southern Orange County through the provision of high-quality, reliable, and affordable water and wastewater service very seriously. OWASA is a not-for-profit, community-owned water, wastewater, and reclaimed water utility. Our investments in water and wastewater infrastructure are not supported by taxes nor federal grants: only rates and fees paid by customers for services. We are required by law to reinvest the rates and fees paid by our customers directly into the treatment plants,pipes, and people that will serve our community for years to come. We constantly strive to balance the need to invest in the community's water and wastewater infrastructure and to maintain affordable rates. This year, maintaining that balance has been more difficult. This memo provides an overview of OWASA's temporary suspension of service disconnections, the extent and impact of this action, and opportunities that we are supporting and pursuing to assist customers in need. We are grateful for Orange County's partnership in helping us meet this need in our community. Temporary Suspension of Standard Collection Practices On March 12, 2020, in the early days of our pandemic response, OWASA proactively suspended disconnections for non-payment. Nineteen days later, Governor Cooper issued Executive Order 124, ordering all utilities to suspend disconnection for non-payment through the end of May 2020. This order was extended through July 29, 2020, with Executive Order 142. Given that the County was still under a declared State of Emergency (and remains so through at December 31, 2020), OWASA chose to carry on with our temporary suspension of standard collection practices beyond the executive order and we are currently not disconnecting for non-payment. We do not plan to resume standard collection practices until early 2021, at the soonest. We are closely 400 Jones Ferry Road,Carrboro,NC 27510 0 919-968-4421 0 info@owasa.org 0 @OWASAI 0 www.owasa.org