The Lawrence City Commission on Tuesday will consider a contract that would pay Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas $250 for each application approved for a utility assistance program. That amount is roughly equivalent to two or three months’ worth of the average residence’s city utility bills, which include water, sewer, stormwater, and solid waste and recycling. According to the commission agenda item, the city can now allow residents to opt in to donate to a utility assistance program through their own bills. The city already has a special rate for residents ages 60 and up who earn 110% of the federal poverty level or less, but this program would expand assistance to other customers with low incomes. A previous agenda item states that “In following other Utilities, it is recommended that an outside charitable agency would administer the funds raised through a donation program.” The cities of Topeka, Salina and Kansas City, Kansas, use nonprofit agencies to administer similar programs, according to the July 7, 2020 meeting agenda. Other than those examples, though, it’s unclear from the agenda why city staff would not administer the program.
Source: The Lawrence Times
