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Emporia council schedules May 19 hearing on stricter water disconnection rules
Summary
The council authorized a public hearing on May 19 to consider amending the city code to remove a one-exception-per-year allowance and require full payment of past-due balances before restoring water service; staff reported roughly $107,491 in accounts more than two months delinquent.
Emporia City Council on April 30 authorized a May 19 public hearing on a proposed amendment to City Code Section 78-95 that would remove the current one-exception-per-year provision for water service disconnections and require customers disconnected for nonpayment to pay all past-due balances in full before service restoration.
Mrs. Karen A. Taylor, the city treasurer, told council staff that, as of April 30, accounts more than two months delinquent totaled approximately $107,491 and recommended scheduling a public hearing to consider the change. Council members discussed an effective date of July 1, 2026, with staff planning to allow customers until Sept. 1, 2026, to bring accounts current before enforcement would begin.
Councilman James C. Saunders moved to authorize the May 19 public hearing; Councilwoman Carol Mercer seconded the motion, which passed unanimously with all seven members present voting aye. The council did not adopt the ordinance at the session; the May 19 public hearing is the next formal step in the process.
If adopted after the hearing, the amendment would tighten the city’s existing nonpayment policy by removing the single annual exception and requiring full payment to restore service. City staff will publish the public hearing notice and provide details about how the change would be implemented and any customer assistance or payment-plan options available prior to enforcement.
