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Broken Bow City Council discusses utility shutoffs, Attorney recommends extension application amid virus outbreak
Summary
At a March 24, 2020 telephone meeting the Broken Bow City Council debated whether to proceed with utility disconnections scheduled March 31 and discussed a process for customers to request payment extensions; City Attorney Jason White recommended an application/form and said the Utility Board sets policy.
The Broken Bow City Council debated whether to proceed with utility disconnections scheduled for March 31, 2020, and discussed a possible process for customers to request payment extensions as the city responds to the coronavirus outbreak.
Council Member Holcomb raised the issue, saying the March 31 disconnects "should go on like normal," but that disconnections in the following months should be reconsidered. City Attorney Jason White told the council an application or form should be used so customers seeking extensions provide a plan to pay the bill.
White also noted that the Utility Board "will have to make this decision because they set the policies for the Utility Department," indicating that any formal change to disconnection procedures would be within the board's authority rather than the council's. Mayor Rod Sonnichsen urged attendees to "keep a level head with the virus outbreak."
The minutes do not show a Council vote to halt the March 31 disconnects or to enact a moratorium. The discussion recorded in the meeting minutes stops short of a formal council directive; the city attorney's comments frame next steps as establishing an administrative process and deferring policy authority to the Utility Board.
Next steps recorded in the minutes: city staff or legal counsel would prepare the recommended application/form for extension and the Utility Board would be the body to determine any changes to disconnection policy.
