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Newton City Council approves six-month utility repayment plan for pandemic-era arrears
Summary
Council approved a utility payment plan for customers with outstanding balances as of July 30, 2020 that splits arrearages into six equal monthly payments due with the customer’s next billing cycle; failure to pay the plan amount may result in disconnection.
Finance Director Vickie Thomas presented a Utility Payment Plan intended to help customers repay arrearages accrued during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the plan approved Sept. 15, the city will divide outstanding balances that were due at July 30, 2020 into six equal monthly payments.
Key terms presented by Thomas include: the monthly payment plan amount will be due on the customer’s normal billing due date along with current charges; payments received after July 30, 2020 will be applied to current charges first and then to the outstanding balance subject to the payment plan; customers who fail to pay the full monthly payment plan amount by 5:00 p.m. on the due date may be subject to disconnection and services will not be reconnected until the full monthly payment plan amount is received.
Council approved the plan on a recorded vote after a motion by Council Member Jody Dixon and a second by Mayor Pro Tem John Stiver. The meeting record lists Council Members Jody Dixon, Ed Sain, Jerry Hodge, Anne Wepner and Mayor Pro Tem John Stiver as voting in favor and Council Member Beverly Danner as voting against. The meeting text also contains a contradictory phrase recording the result as "unanimously RESOLVED"; the vote-by-name above is the detailed roll-call recorded in the minutes.
