City urges residents to apply to utility help program
The City of Olney is urging low-income residents who are having trouble paying their water and wastewater bills to apply to a state program that will pay overdue water and wastewater bills and chip in $85 per month per approved household for up to nine months.
If the resident is approved for the program, Texas Utility Help will automatically send the applicant’s water and wastewater provider – the City of Olney – one payment that includes the overdue bill amount plus up to $765, depending on when the application is approved, the program’s web site, TexasUtilityHelp. com, said.
If you need help filling out the online application, volunteers will be available at the Olney Community Library & Arts Center on Monday, Jan. 30 at 2 p.m., said library Director Lori Cox. You will need to bring the following documents in order to apply: Identification card, proof of citizenship or legal residency, a pastdue utility bill or utility termination notice, and income documentation for each member of your household. Contact the Library at 940-564-5513 for more information.
The program also helps low-income residents pay their energy bills but is not taking applications for electricity and gas bill relief at this time - although that option could return later this year, a representative said. Olney households have seen their water bills increase by at least $35 per month since last November because of a per-meter surcharge to help defray the cost of the city’s new water treatment plant. The City issued $13.5 million in revenue bonds last April to build the new plant to replace the 102-year-old existing utility. Construction is expected to begin on the new plant this summer after the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality review and approves the plans, City Administrator Arpegea Pagsuberon said.
She also said that citizens also may call or come by City Hall for help with the online application.
“The City encourages our citizens to take full advantage of this program to alleviate some of the utility financial burden brought on by inflation and the new surcharge,” she said. “This is a perfect opportunity to get caught up or ahead on City utilities. Anything the City can do to make the process easier, we are happy to help!”
To qualify for the Texas Utility Help program, applicants must be homeowners or renters living in Texas, with household incomes at or below 150 percent of Federal Poverty Income Guidelines (see the chart accompanying this story). At least one occupant in the household must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or qualified alien, the website said.
For additional information about the program, please visit TexasUtilityHelp.com, and click the ‘Apply Now’ button to start the application. For questions, call toll-free: 1-855-566-2057, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.