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Kyle staff to draft in‑house utility-assistance pilot after third‑party bids prove costly
Summary
After a costly response to a solicitation for a third‑party utility‑assistance vendor, staff recommended an in‑house self‑attestation pilot with targeted eligibility (SNAP/Medicaid/SSI and caps similar to prior guidance); council directed staff to return specific policy language and eligibility for approval.
City staff told the council they had solicited third‑party partners to operate a Utility Customer Assistance Program (UCAP) intended to provide limited bill relief to customers with demonstrated need; only one firm responded and its proposed fee was close to the city's entire program budget, so staff concluded the third‑party option was not currently cost-effective.
Assistant Finance Director Joshua Cronley presented alternatives: reissue the solicitation (with likelihood of similar pricing), pursue an in‑house model based on self‑attestation with optional documentation (SNAP, Medicaid, veteran benefits, etc.) to prioritize funds, or suspend the program. Councilors and staff discussed parameters in previously adopted guidelines, including a historical $600 maximum per household and monthly caps designed to prevent snowballing debt.
Several council members advocated for a pilot program and for staff flexibility to waive late fees or adjust billing dates for customers in hardship; staff said recent changes to the utility-billing ordinance already grant some authority to waive fees when appropriate. Members asked staff to return a drafted in‑house policy with eligibility criteria (including suggested third‑party documentation) and options for long‑term funding such as customer round-up donations.
The council provided consensus direction for staff to develop a draft UCAP policy using an in‑house model with targeted eligibility documentation, pilot parameters and a proposed budget, and to return the proposal to council for approval.
