Water Bill Pay Stress

There are some, maybe many more southside residents who are experiencing difficulty having to pay their water bills by the end of each month. That is because, according to several residents, many who are on fixed incomes, having to make the difficult decision to not pay for essential items and save what they can for the month ending due date for their water bill, is putting them under stress. They said that what they will have experienced every month is undue stress; that there is not an effort to not pay their water bill, but to come up with a permanent solution so they won’t have to face the same dilemma each month. For many of them on fixed incomes, the first days of the month has been an idea time for them to pay their essential bills such as water and lights. For some time, several said that the city “worked out” what residents thought was a solution where they could pay their water bill a day or two after the first. Then, according to one resident that The Dispatch talked to, it appears that the city “reneged” and told them that water bill payment would revert back to needing to be paid by 30th/31th day of the month. They received a notification stating that water bills starting with the month of April must be paid by the end of the month. When some residents inquired about the sudden change by the city, they were allegedly told,” That’s how the system works”.

For many who are facing having to go back to the “old way” of doing things, the stress levels will return. Then there is the ever-present COVID-19 epidemic, where the numbers may be down, it is still a major concern because many of those affected by the water bill payment methods, are in the age level group where health officials still express concerns to have keep them from contacting COVID. They feel that they shouldn’t have to worry(stress) about paying their water bill when all that they ever wanted was a one- or two-day period of leniency, and not have the extra burden doing what they can to avoid contracting a still deadly disease. One resident that The Dispatch talked to said that she at one time had to borrow some money in order to pay her bill on time, eliminating having to pay late charges and a re-connect fee on her water bill. She said that was an “undue burden” placed on her and others like her felt the same way. Residents said that “only” option is to plead with city officials in the Ellis administration for some kind of relief, because many of them fall in the “have-not” category. They have said all along that it is not about not paying their bill, because water is a necessity. They want to pay them. They are simply asking the city to go back to the way that was working for them to pay their water bill. That’s when there was a little less stress in their lives. City hall, are you listening?