Full Description

As water rates increase, in many casesfaster than the public's ability topay, greater numbers of water utilitycustomers may experience difficultypaying their water bills, even for basic levelsof service. Fortunately, there are many waysthat utility managers can address affordabilityissues, including assistance programs thatbenefit both customers and the water utility.This paper discusses the experiences of theCity of Portland, Oregon, which for more than15 years has been involved in helping itslow-income customers pay their bills on timeand avoid shutoffs. The city built on thefindings in prior literature to identify themany options - for example, low-income billdiscounts, a crisis assistance program, afixture repair program, budget billing, andpayment extensions - that are available tomake water service more affordable. Utilitymanagers have a variety of solutions available,depending on their particular community'sneeds and customer base.The objective of this paper is to fosteran increased awareness of the issue of affordability,including both the benefits andobstacles of providing bill assistance for lowincomepeople, and that more utilities mayimplement new programs or enhance existingones. Considerable long-term efforts maybe required to make such programs effective;however, as this paper shows, success can beachieved if these efforts are focused and havethe proper planning and direction. Includes 6 references, tables, figures.

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Edition: Vol. 94 - No. 4 Published: 04/01/2002 Number of Pages: 11File Size: 1 file , 400 KB