Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hardship Shutoff topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board adopts hardship shutoff ordinance to allow more discretion in shutoffs for medical/caregiver reasons
Summary
Board adopted Ordinance 2025-03 to permit discretionary hardship shutoffs in narrowly defined medical or caregiving situations and authorized staff to implement caps and notices under the new procedure.
The Delaware County Regional Wastewater Board voted to adopt an ordinance creating a hardship shutoff procedure intended to provide staff discretion in extenuating medical or caregiving situations.
Staff described the current collection ordinance as a 60-day delinquency process with a 10-day pay notice and said payment arrangements typically require review by a hardship committee. "So it gives a little bit more discretion in extenuating circumstances," a staff presenter said, explaining the proposed ordinance would allow staff to address cases such as a household caring for a family member in a medical facility without automatically disconnecting service.
Key features discussed included limiting eligibility to medical-related circumstances, requiring the customer to bring the account current if applicable, and implementing a cap and documentation requirement so the provision applies only where the district’s standard collection procedures do not already cover the situation.
During the roll call on the ordinance motion board members voted in favor, with one abstention recorded on the transcript. The chair announced the motion approved following the voice vote.
Next steps: staff will incorporate the ordinance into district procedures and implement the payment and notice processes described to ensure cases meeting the hardship criteria are handled under the new rules.
