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Lorain board urges outreach on duplicate tenant bills and restoration of pre-pandemic billing hours
Summary
The SWAB board unanimously recommended that the city publicize a duplicate-billing option so tenants receive bills when the account is in a landlord’s name, and it amended its report to request restoration of pre-pandemic billing-office hours (identified during the meeting as 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.).
The SWAB board unanimously recommended that the Lorain utilities department publicize an existing duplicate-bill option that lets tenants receive a copy of a utility bill when the account is in a landlord’s name, and it amended its report to request restoration of pre-pandemic billing-office hours.
Board members said the option already exists but is little known. Resident Gerald Phillips, speaking for Lorain Citizens for Fair Water and Sewer Bills, told the board: “I contacted the water department recently and indicated that they supposedly have a form that a tenant can fill out, but I haven’t gotten it,” and urged that the form and instructions be posted on the city website.
The board also amended the report language to specify restoration of pre-pandemic billing-office hours. During discussion the hours were identified as 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as used by other city offices in pre-pandemic practice. Board members said they are not asking the city to staff the window continually but to adopt the same open-window approach used by other departments — staff do other work and serve in-person customers when a bell or customer appears.
Board members acknowledged that the utility department previously conducted an analysis and concluded traffic at the billing window does not justify expanded hours. Members pressed that even low traffic does not justify removing in-person availability, citing customer access issues for residents without digital access.
The board moved to accept the report language promoting outreach and public posting of the duplicate-billing form and to amend the section to say “pre-pandemic hours.” Both motions passed unanimously. The motion did not specify how the city should publicize the program or the cost of restoring hours; it asked the administration to consider posting the form on the city website, adding bill inserts, and announcing the option in public notices.
The board asked the administration to bring subsequent operational proposals — including any staffing or cost analyses — back to the board for review before final policy changes.
