Orange County NC Website
4 <br /> Customer Assistance for OWASA Bills <br /> November 17, 2020 <br /> Page 3 <br /> fiscal year(July 2020 through December 2020) and assumed that demands would rebound in <br /> 2021. Unfortunately, we assumed incorrectly as the pandemic is now projected to extend well <br /> into 2021. Thus, revenues will continue to be below normal, and we have been cautiously <br /> anticipating this in our routine expenditures. <br /> As we look forward to Fiscal Year 2022, it will be increasingly detrimental to the quality and <br /> reliability of water and wastewater services to not raise rates. As such, it will be imperative to <br /> enhance and expand other means of assisting those who need it most with paying their utility <br /> bills. <br /> Our suspension of service disconnection for non-payment is not a sustainable strategy for <br /> OWASA, nor for the customers with growing balances. Most of our utility neighbors have <br /> resumed standard collection practices. Our delay is related to the overall State of Emergency in <br /> our County. Meanwhile, the debt owed by customers with past due balances has grown. <br /> Unfortunately, we are not able to discount or waive rates and fees due a customer's ability to <br /> pay. State law does not allow OWASA to pay off customer debt with reserves or any revenue <br /> collected from rates, fees, or charges. <br /> We are working to raise contributions to our Care to Share water bill assistance program, support <br /> state and federal grants for utility bill assistance, and establish an extended payment plan to <br /> allow customers time to pay their past due balances free of interest and fees. <br /> Care to Share: Donor-Supported Customer Assistance Program <br /> Our community has one of the first customer-assistance programs in the state (established in 1997). <br /> The Inter-Faith Council for Social Service has been our partner in administering Care to Share funds <br /> since the beginning of the program. Through the Care to Share program,residents can request <br /> financial assistance to pay their OWASA bill or rent if utilities are included. There is no official <br /> income eligibility for Care to Share funds. Recently,we have worked with the IFC to develop a <br /> streamlined referral process from OWASA customer service to the IFC for Care to Share assistance. <br /> The Care to Share program is funded 100%by donations. Last month, nearly 1,000 members of our <br /> community donated over$1,400 through on-bill donations to help their neighbors pay for water <br /> utility bills. Current donations are at an all-time high(Figure 1). Over the past three years, on-bill <br /> donations have nearly tripled. This is the result of increased promotion of the program by OWASA <br /> and local elected officials through the annual Care to Share Day(celebrated on November 19 this <br /> year) and Giving Tuesday Now(a COVID-19 fundraiser) campaigns, as well as a focused campaign <br /> to encourage contributors to consider an increase in their monthly donations. <br />