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Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Council's Public Works Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Friday to discuss water late fees and cut-off policies

The Public Works and Services Committee of the Midway City Council will meeting at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 4 at City Hall to discuss late fees and cut-off polices for water customers. All council and committee meetings are open to the public.

At the Sept. 2 council meeting, Council Member Logan Nance said shutting off water for unpaid bills “does not need to be a policy of ours.” He called such action “draconian” and said “Clean water is a basic human right; this policy only effects those who are impoverished.”

Council Member Bruce Southworth, who heads the Public Works and Services Committee, was noncommittal about the idea in an interview after the meeting, and Council Member Kaye Nita Gallagher sounded skeptical. She asked, “How far are you going to let them get behind?”

Council Member Stacy Thurman, who like Nance is not on the committee, had another view. “It does seem harsh to shut someone’s water off if they simply cannot afford it,” she said. “I believe we must balance effectively running the city with some grace for people who are having a hard time, as there are some people who truly need help.”

The other committee member, Council Member John Holloway, did not attend the Sept. 2 meeting.

The city sends customers who haven't paid their monthly bill get a delinquency notice five business days after the due date, telling them the last day to pay and the cutoff day if payment is not received by then. "Generally, the cutoff day is the 26th of each month and last day to pay is one day before," Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said. "There is a reconnect fee of $25 for turning water back on."

UPDATE: On the Midway Messenger's Facebook page, Nance and others discuss alternatives.

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