Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Utility Rates topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge council to remove $3 paperless-billing fee, cite fixed-income impacts
Summary
Multiple residents told the Medford City Council they cannot afford a $3 monthly charge to enroll in paperless utility billing and urged removal of a separate $8.62 utility rate increase approved by the council.
Three Medford residents used the council’s public-comment period on Sept. 3 to criticize a newly implemented $3 monthly charge for paperless utility billing and an $8.62 utility-rate increase approved earlier by the council.
Gary DeGarmo, who told the council he lacks a home computer, said the $3 monthly fee to enroll in paperless billing is onerous for people without internet access and that local alternatives suggested by staff — using public-library computers or paying someone to help set up accounts — are inadequate. “$3 seems like a lot today to bill you each month extra,” DeGarmo said.
Kathy Arnold told the council she spent more than 30 minutes to sign up online and that her August utility bill had risen “240%” since 2013; she also asked the council to restore in-person or mailed-bill options for residents who do not use computers.
Homeowner Cynthia Cornish, who identified herself as a Ward 2 resident on a fixed income, said she opposes both the $3 paperless-billing charge and the $8.62 rate increase. “My elderly friends are on a fixed income. They do not have computers, and they cannot afford that increase or set up paperless billing for the $3 expense,” Cornish said.
City staff and councilors did not take action on those comments at the meeting; the remarks were heard during the public-comment segment. Staff told an individual commenter that written responses and options will be provided in writing after the meeting.
Council members acknowledged receipt of one written comment from Kathy Arnold submitted before the meeting and said the city will follow up. Several councilors expressed sympathy for residents without internet access but did not make immediate policy changes during the Sept. 3 meeting.
The city’s current policy and any next steps on the $3 charge or the $8.62 increase were not changed at the meeting; staff signaled they will provide written responses to commenters and suggested further consideration in follow-up staff work.
