Somerton increases assistance fund for utility payments

SOMERTON – Somerton residents having trouble paying utility and trash bills can continue getting financial help through the Somerton Cares program, thanks to the city.

The Somerton City Council added another $8,000 to assistance fund the Western Arizona Council of Governments administers for the city.

The council allocated $10,000 in 2019 to set up the fund to help low-income families struggling to pay water, sewer and trash collection rate increases approved earlier that year by the city.

Families determined in a review by WACOG to meet low-income guidelines receive up to $200 a year to help pay their utility bills.

With the assistance being paid out to qualifying families, the balance in the fund dropped to $1,146 recently, prompting Somerton Finance Director Czarina Gallegos to recommend the council add the $8,000. The council accepted her recommendation on a unanimous votes.

Somerton Mayor Gerardo Anaya said the additional funding should sustain the program through the end of the current fiscal year on June 30.

“This program was created following the (utility) rate increases, but with the pandemic, a lot of residents continue needing help (with utility payments). There are a lot of families affected by unemployment or because their incomes fell.”

At Anaya’s suggestion, the council decided to revise the eligibility rules to permit families that are more than a month behind in their utility payments to qualify for the program. Previous applicants need to be current in their payments.

“We know they are considered to be delinquent accounts, but the majority are for the same reason, that they aren’t able to pay,” he said. “Now they also will be able to get help.”

But Councilman Luis Galindo urged the city to be careful about offering the financial assistance to utility customers who have delinquent accounts. Some of the customers may be taking advance of the city’s policy of not cutting off water service to residents during the pandemic, he said.

The list of delinquent accounts is three pages long, said Gallegos, and includes customers who have not made a single payment since the city adopted its policy not to cut off water payment.

Anaya said the city is studying measure to recover delinquent payments, including tacking interest penalties onto the payments but also working with customers to set up repayment plans.