HomeMy WebLinkAbout2110 Low-Income Disabled Utility Credit ProgramORDINANCE NO.
AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING A LOW-INCOME DISABLED
UTILITY CREDIT PROGRAM FOR WATER, SEWER AND STORM
DRAINAGE UTILITIES PROVIDED BY THE CITY; ESTABLISH-
ING LOW-INCOME DISABLED UTILITY RATES; AND ESTAB-
LISHING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND, IN REGULAR
SESSION ASSEMBLED, DO ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1: A program for credits to the billings for water,
sewer and storm drainage utility services provided by the City
of Port Townsend, for certain recipients of Supplemental Secur-
ity Income (hereinafter SSI) pursuant to 42 United States Code
Sections 1381-1383, as now or hereafter amended, is established
in order to provide necessary support for the poor disabled.
The City Clerk-Treasurer is authorized and directed to admin-
ister the program and in such connection may promulgate forms
and administrative regulations from time to time, to carry out
the intent and purpose of this ordinance.
Section 2: To implement the program provided for in this
ordinance, utility credits shall be issued to each person who
shows satisfactory proof that he or she:
(A) Receives Supplement Security Income pursu-
ant to 42 USC Sections 1381-1383, as now or hereafter amended;
(B) Is a single occupant or the head of a ~
household or the spouse of the head of the household;
(C) Resides in a dwelling unit served directly
by the City's water, sewer or storm drainage utilities;
(D) Is billed or is the spouse of a person
billed by the water, sewer or storm drainage utilities of the
City of Port Townsend;
(E) That the applicant is currently eligible
for SSI as set forth in Subparagraph (A) of,~this Section. The
applicant shall provide the City Clerk-Treasurer with a current
statement of eligibility for SSI, such statement not to be more
than three months old.
(F) Applicants, under oath.or penalty of per-
jury, shall verify such information and provide such other data
as is deemed appropriate, upon forms and in the manner deter-
mined by the City Clerk-Treasurer.
Section 3: Eligibility for utility credits provided for
by this ordinance shall be for a period of one year, or so long
as the applicant continues to be eligible for SSI, whichever
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period is shorter. Applications shall be made annually to renew
eligibility for utility credits.
Section 4: Persons qualified_~by the City Clerk-Treasurer
as eligible recipients of utility credits provided for in this
ordinance shall be granted billing credits in the following
stated monthly, or monthly equivalent amounts, provided, how-
ever, that in no case shall the amount of the billing credit
granted for a utility service exceed the amount owing for that
service:
(A) Sewer: ';2.~
(S) Water: ~.o~/ ,Wo~7~/ ,~ r~ o* ~o / ~o~
(C) Storm drainage:
Section 5: Qualified persons receiving sewer, water or
storm drainage utility services shall receive utility credits as
provided for in this ordinance, or in equivalent amounts should
the billing period be other than monthly, provided, however,
that no qualified person shallLr~¢eive or accept utility credits
to more than one utility bill for the same billing period. The
credits shall be made as follows:
(A) For qualified persons who receive a sewer,
water or storm drainage utility bill directly, the proper credit
shall be made on the bill as a reduction to the amount which
would otherwise be payable.
(B) For qualified persons who do not receive a
sewer, water or storm drainage utility bill directly but who pay
such utility charges indirectly as part of their rental payment,
the proper credit shall be made in the manner determined by the
City Clerk-Treasurer, upon satisfactory proof in writing that
such utility charges in fact are paid by the qualified person in-
directly as part of their rental payment.
Section 6: The City Clerk-Treasurer is authorized to appor-
tion the total amount of utility credits made to bills as pro-
vided for in this ordinance.
Section 7: The following acts shall be unlawful:
(A) To accept or receive any utility credit pro-
vided for by this ordinance when or during such time that the
person accepting or receiving the same is not eligible.
(B) To make any false or untrue statement on any
application, form or document filed to qualify for a utility
credit, or to continue receiving utility credits under this
ordinance.
Any such violations shall be a misdemeanor, and punishable by a
fine not to exceed One Thousand Dollars ($1,000), or by up to
ninety (90) days in jail, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
In addition, the City shall be entitled to recover the amount
represented by any utility credit which was accepted~ 'received
or allowed to any person not then eligible to receive the same,
and the City Clerk-Treasurer is authorized to add the amounts
entitled by the City to be recovered to subsequent utility bills
of the person responsible for the same.
Section 8: This ordinance shall be added as a new Chapter
of Title 13 of the Port Townsend Municipal Code.
Section 9: This ordinance shall take effect upon ~¥ 15 ,
1988, and after its approval and publication in the form and man-
ner provided by law.
Read the first, second and third times, passed by the City
Council for the City of Port Townsend and signed and approved by
the Mayor for the City this /4 day of /~ .. , 1988.
Atte s t:
David Grove, City d-l'erk~ ''
MAYOR BRENT SHIRLEY
Appr:ved as t? form: ~
K~ith C. Harper,: City Attorn~ey
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