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3 <br /> OWASA staff have worked closely with the staff of OCDSS to develop a concept for a sustained water bill <br /> relief program that would use a household's qualification for FNS to pre-qualify them for additional <br /> water bill assistance. Under this concept,when applying for FNS, an individual could opt-in to share their <br /> information with OWASA if they are an OWASA customer and qualify for FNS. With funding, OWASA <br /> could then automatically apply a credit to the monthly bill of opted-in and qualified customers,with <br /> minimal administrative requirements on the resident,OCDSS, and OWASA. Every six months,when <br /> residents re-register for FNS,the program roster for water bill relief could be updated. <br /> What would full funding of this program look like?A program that relieved the cost of an average <br /> residential customer in the area (at 4,000 gallons of water and sewer use per month) would currently <br /> provide$115.55/month of financial assistance to qualifying households. Based on the analysis <br /> conducted last year,fully funding this program would cost approximately$340,000/year to cover all <br /> qualifying households or$125,000/year to cover qualifying households with a 55+member. <br /> Of course, it is not necessary to fully fund this program. Moreover, it is not necessary that one entity <br /> fully cover the costs of the program. OWASA is scheduling similar discussions with the Town Councils of <br /> Chapel Hill and Carrboro in the near future.At this stage in the discussion, OWASA is hoping to get a <br /> better understanding of if, and at what level, the local governments in our community could support <br /> such a program in FY26 and beyond. <br /> Admittedly,the proposed program concept is somewhat modest in its impact. Even if the entire pool of <br /> eligible residents participated in a fully funded program, it will only impact about 1%of OWASA <br /> customers and would not fully address the number of households living below the poverty line in our <br /> service area. As proposed, we know that there are some categorical gaps in support: <br /> 1. This program affects OWASA customers so it does not address tenants of multi-family, master- <br /> metered properties whose water costs are covered in their rent or paid to a third-party sub- <br /> metering company. <br /> 2. FNS is only available to legal residents of the U.S. <br /> 3. Most college students do not apply for and/or qualify for FNS,yet they are counted in the <br /> community's poverty statistics and may need assistance paying their monthly bill. <br /> Additionally, OWASA recognizes that this specific program would only serve residents of southern <br /> Orange County which will likely be a consideration for the Board of County Commissioners. OWASA <br /> would be happy to share information and ideas with other utilities in the county to help replicate the <br /> program for their customers. <br /> Next Steps: <br /> OWASA is presenting this concept to local elected bodies in our service area and requests feedback on <br /> the following two questions: <br /> 1. Do County Commissioners support the concept of this program? <br /> 2. Is the Board of County Commissioners willing to support the program financially? <br /> If there is general support for the program, including providing funding support, OWASA requests that <br /> the Board of County Commissioners authorize County staff to work with OWASA staff to identify funding <br /> for the program in the county's Fiscal Year 2026 budget. <br />