The utility shutoff moratorium, issued by Gov. Jay Inslee in March 2020, provided hundreds of thousands of Washington residents the temporary financial relief needed to weather the most dramatic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, local leaders are
identifying ways to work with their communities to address the extraordinary amount of overdue bills.
When Gov. Inslee issued the final emergency proclamation earlier this summer, he urged utilities to:
- Continue to make good faith efforts to reach customers with past-due accounts, including partnering with community organizations, and provide information about their various assistance options.
- Help customers identify utility, local, state, and federal financial assistance programs they may be eligible for.
- Offer extended payment plans of 12 months or longer.
- Waive disconnection, reconnection, site visit, and late fees accrued during the disconnection moratorium, if customers sign up for payment assistance.
- Refrain from reporting overdue accounts to credit bureaus or placing liens on customers with overdue accounts for at least 180 days.
The impacts of the pandemic are felt acutely by customer-owned utilities (COUs). While a vast majority of utility customers pay what they can as soon as they can, customers that have been most severely impacted by the pandemic continue to accrue significant
utility charges. Given the prolific economic impacts of the pandemic, the accumulation of delinquent payments has surpassed $100 million for COUs alone.
AWC has been in regular and frequent communication with the Governor’s Office, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Health, and other impacted utilities to determine a solution for the significant arrearages facing COUs. AWC continues to
advocate for dedicated financial assistance to support COU customers with growing financial hardships.
For more information on how the proclamation impacts your city’s existing collections process including late fees and disconnections, read MRSC’s recent blog post.
For more information for COU customers, visit the Department of Commerce’s utility assistance webpage.