Unpaid power bills continue to plague district

EL CENTRO — The Imperial Irrigation’s financial picture after the first six months was not a rosy one, and the district expects it to get worse as COVID-19 numbers continue to increase in the county.

When IID Assistant General Manager Sergio Quiroz presented the IID Board of Directors Tuesday with the district’s financial update, he pointed out the figures include January through March, before COVID-19 had fully impacted the district.

Quiroz said district’s expenses in the energy department through 162 days were close to the 2019 figures for the same period. The department had $ 538 million budgeted for the year

But he added IID expects significant financial changes in the energy department over the next six months due to COVID-19.

IID’s water department’s spending was $1.7 million below last year, but Quiroz said he expects the pandemic to have a significant impact on this department, too, which has an annual budget of $529 million.

The biggest financial impact to IID so far this year continues to be customers not paying their energy bills.

The district has agreed to not disconnect power during the pandemic, and the result is that 3,000 who would have already been disconnected if not for COVID-19 are still receiving power.

Delinquencies have increased by another 38 percent to create a $9.7 million shortfall in collections.

Of the 3,000 accounts that would have been disconnected, Quiroz said 85 percent are residential customers, and 15 percent are commercial.

Board President Norma Sierra Galindo urged those with delinquent accounts to call the district to make payment arrangements.

“The reprieve was temporary,” she said. “It was not intended to be permanent. Call the call center.”

Quiroz also said that while the Customer Assistance Emergency Energy Program only increased by 2 percent in the first six months of the year, the Residential Energy Assistance Program or REAP is 104 percent over what was budgeted for the entire year.

“It’s an image of what we are going through,” Quiroz said.

The Medical Emergency Assistance Program is also already over what was budgeted for the year at 118 percent with six months to go.

He said these increases in the two emergency programs absorbed most of the funds, as more people are applying for emergency assistance because of the pandemic.

IID, he said, will continue to look at and monitor the financial impacts caused by COVID-19. He also mentioned that budget amendments would likely be brought to the board.

“All in all, that is not a good picture, but it is not anything new,” he said.