18 Jul OWASA Board Eliminates Account Delinquency Fee
The Orange Water and Sewer Authority Board of Directors voted unanimously on July 14 to eliminate the Account Delinquency Fee that has historically been charged to customers to reconnect their water service after it was disconnected due to non-payment. The change in OWASA policy is effective immediately.
The Account Delinquency Fee was $45 and charged as a way to recover some of the costs for OWASA to disconnect and reconnect customers who had two consecutive unpaid bills.
The removal of this fee furthers OWASA’s priority on service equity of essential services for all customers.
Board members wanted to ensure this policy was implemented before any possible service disconnections due to non-payment associated with the resumption of Standard Collection Practices on June 1, 2022. The return to Standard Collection Practices came after a temporary moratorium on service disconnections was implemented in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
All Board members present at the meeting were supportive of the proposal.
“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity and a very positive step to move forward with eliminating the fee,” Board member Elmira Mangum said.
Between July 2016 and June 2019 OWASA collected an annual average of $33,615 through this fee. It’s anticipated this amount can be covered through the annual budgeting process without a direct need for a rate increase for all customers.
With OWASA resuming Standard Collection Practices on June 1, 2022, the first possible service disconnections for non-payment would begin in August 2022. If you or someone you know have an OWASA bill that is past due, funding assistance is available, and OWASA is offering fee-free, extended payment plans to help customers who have bills that are past due.
The Board of Directors meeting agenda and video can be found here.