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Goldsboro council pauses water shutoffs during federal shutdown; waives late fees and expands payment plans
Summary
City council unanimously imposed an immediate moratorium on water cutoffs effective midnight and agreed to waive late fees and offer extended payment plans for customers through 14 days after the federal shutdown ends; staff will return a formal retroactive resolution and implement outreach to affected customers.
Goldsboro City Council voted unanimously Nov. 3 to halt water shutoffs while the federal government remains shut down, directing utility staff to waive late fees during the moratorium and offer longer payment plans to customers carrying balances.
Mayor Gaylor opened the discussion after council added the item to the agenda. Gwen (staff), who handles property and customer processes, told the council a resolution would be needed to change customer policy but that council action could direct staff to stop cutoffs immediately. “As far as I'm aware, I believe that the council could pass a resolution to stop the water cutoffs for a period of time,” staff said during the meeting.
City Attorney Ron Lawrence advised council it could adopt a resolution and then return with a formal policy item. Several councilmembers emphasized the need both to avoid immediate hardship and to give customers breathing room after the shutdown ends. Council directed staff to waive late fees during the moratorium and to offer extended payment plans — the motion specifies adding three months to whatever payment‑plan time the city currently offers — and to extend the moratorium to 14 days after the federal shutdown concludes to allow an orderly resumption of collections.
Councilmember (mover) made the motion; the council voted unanimously to implement the moratorium effective midnight and to have staff bring back a written resolution at the next meeting that will be retroactive to cover the interim period. Utility staff said they would notify customers on the city website, through customer service contacts, and on billing statements about the temporary policy and the availability of payment plans.
The moratorium is limited to suspending shutoffs and waiving late fees; it does not cancel bills. Staff told council it would offer extended payment schedules to help customers spread outstanding balances, and that historically most customers who used extended plans resolved their balances within the plan period. Council asked staff to return with the formal resolution language, an outreach plan, and the administrative steps needed to operationalize the policy.
