Title
RESOLUTION NO. 2148 - UTILITY RATE REDUCTION PROGRAM 2015
COUNCIL STRATEGIC INITIATIVE ADDRESSED: Continue to provide utility rate relief to low-income senior citizens and low-income disabled citizens in Longview
CITY ATTORNEY REVIEW: REQUIRED
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
The Council has established a utility rate reduction program for low-income senior citizens and low-income disabled citizens of the City. Annually, low income senior and low-income disabled citizens on the City’s rate reduction program are asked to re-apply so that staff can ascertain whether or not they still qualify. In years past, a number of program participants have received modest annual increases in income that, in many instances may have caused them to exceed the limit in effect, and therefore could have resulted in some of the participants losing the rate reduction benefit. These increases in income are largely the result of inflationary increases granted by the Social Security Administration.
In most instances, the modest cost-of-living increases granted by Social Security are not sufficient to offset the utility rate increases that these citizens would now experience if they lost their participation in the City’s rate reduction program. Staff is recommending that the 2015 income eligibility limits for the City’s rate reduction program be increased in order to keep eligible those who presently participate in the City’s utility rate relief program and are in need of this rate reduction. The 2015 proposed utility rate relief income limits for a single person household are $20,350, and are up $650 from the current limit of $19,700. For a household with two persons the proposed income limit is $23,250. Last year’s income limit for a two person household was $22,500. The income limit for a household with five or more persons is $31,400. Presently there are about 400 households receiving reductions totaling approximately $165,000/yr. Preliminary estimates indicate that program cos...
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