Allentown committee advances Bill 12 to full council proposing income-based water and sewer rebates

The Allentown Budget & Finance Committee forwarded Bill 12 to the full City Council on March 4 after hearing administration testimony on a new income-based water and sewer rebate program.

Mike Zumas, the city’s revenue and audit manager, outlined the proposed sliding scale: household income from $0 to $15,000 would receive a 75% rebate on the water and sewer fixed charge; $15,001–$20,000 would receive 50%; $20,001–$25,000 would receive 25%; and $25,001–$34,450 would receive 10%. Zumas gave context by noting 2025 quarterly fixed charges were $29.75 for sewer and $85.57 for metered water use.

The committee pressed the administration on eligibility and outreach. Director Patel said the city — not the Lehigh County Authority (LCA) that holds a 50‑year lease on water and sewer — would administer the rebate and would mirror the outreach used for last year’s garbage rebate, including translation into Spanish and coordination with Lehigh County’s aging committee. “So this is something that the city of Allentown would administer and issue the rebate on,” Director Patel said.

Committee members asked whether the scale uses area median income (AMI); the administration said it mirrored the garbage-rebate percentages and did not adopt AMI for this draft. Members also recommended making the rebate form more visible on the city website and working with state representatives to publicize the benefit.

Chair closed the discussion by requesting a motion to refer the measure; after a motion and second, the chair said the item would be put on the council agenda for March 4. No vote on adoption occurred at the committee meeting.

What happens next: Bill 12 will appear on the full City Council agenda on March 4 for further consideration and any potential amendments.