City Council Tuesday night will consider getting help to cover the costs of clearing over $945,000 in past due utility bills for residents who fell behind during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of December 18, 2021, the city of Longmont had 2,113 residential accounts that weren’t paid for more than 37 days for a total of $945,350 past due, according to a city report.
While the city has started its own program to address past due accounts via the Fresh Start Utility Billing Assistance program, the funding available will not be enough to cover the total costs, the report states.
The council Tuesday night will vote whether to accept help from Boulder County Housing and Human Services which is using up to $12 million in U.S. Treasury Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) funding to pay past-due utility bills caused by COVID-19 in the county, the staff report states.
“By utilizing these funds, (the county) can clear arrears and potentially save the municipalities from having to use other dollars to cover these costs,” the report states.
