PALMDALE – More than 700 Palmdale Water District ratepayers received financial help with their water bills in 2018 through the agency’s Rate Assistance Program.
The program is budgeted for $160,000 in 2019 and will assist qualified customers with half of the monthly service charge of $37.77, PWD officials announced.
“We are very pleased to see more customers taking advantage of this program,” stated PWD Chief Financial Officer Michael Williams. “We’ve seen it steadily gain popularity since it started, and it is really helping those customers who need it most.”
PWD’s Rate Assistance Program was launched in 2015 to help eligible seniors, veterans, and low-income families pay their PWD water bill. In the first year of the program, 289 customers qualified for assistance. It was followed by 686 ratepayers in 2016 and 723 in 2017.
To apply for the program, applicants must provide proof of income and be enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program with Southern California Edison or Southern California Gas Company.
Applications are accepted between November and June and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. New PWD customers can apply at the time they start service. Priority is given to veterans and low-income seniors, and customers must reapply every year.
“Our Customer Care Department does a great job of identifying and encouraging customers who may be eligible for the program to submit an application,” said Customer Care Supervisor Tara Rosati.
PWD uses non-operating revenues, such as proceeds from leasing District-owned property, to fund the program. No revenues from ratepayers are used to fund the program.
For more information, visit www.palmdalewater.org.
[Information via news release from the Palmdale Water District.]
–
