Council approves temporary late-fee relief for federal employees; proposed $1,000 donation to food shelf fails
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Summary
Council voted to forgive late fees on water and sewer bills for verified federal employees affected by the government shutdown (city attorney to confirm legal authority), but rejected a separate $1,000 city donation to NACE after debate about taxpayer funding.
During council reports on Nov. 10 members raised local impacts of the ongoing federal government shutdown. A councilmember proposed two measures: (1) forgive late fees on water and sewer bills for federal employees who show identification proving their employment status, and (2) donate $1,000 from the city to the local food shelf, NACE, to assist residents.
The council approved the late-fee forgiveness motion by voice vote; the city attorney said she would need to confirm whether the city has authority to forgive utility payments for that purpose. "I will actually on the prior motion, I will need to double check whether the city has the authority to forgive utility payments for that purpose," the city attorney said. City staff clarified that the city would be reactive to requests (residents must contact the city and show ID) rather than proactively forgiving amounts.
A separate motion to donate $1,000 to NACE failed after debate. One councilmember said they would not support the donation, arguing taxpayers already support social services and they donate personally to similar causes. The motion failed on the council floor after voice votes were taken.
Next steps: Staff and the city attorney will follow up to confirm the city's legal authority on fee forgiveness and report back to council; the city plans to coordinate community food drives as an alternative to a direct donation.