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More than 250 water customers of the city of Mount Airy with delinquent accounts have had their service cut off, but most was restored by the end of the week.
This restoration partially occurred through the generosity of other local citizens who stepped up to the plate to help their fellow man.
“I just think it’s incredible,” said Tom Koch, a member of the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners. He explained that after a Mount Airy News article about the impending cutoffs was published on Wednesday, about $2,500 was donated during a 24-hour period.
“The big hearts of the citizens of Mount Airy never cease to amaze me,” Koch added during impromptu remarks at the end of a city council meeting Thursday night.
Mount Airy Finance Director Pam Stone, whose department handles water billing, had disclosed last Monday that about 340 customers were on a cutoff list in the wake of statewide moratoriums imposed by Gov. Roy Cooper expiring.
In response to economic hardships posed by COVID-19, Cooper had issued executive orders prohibiting local governments that operate utilities from disconnecting service or charging late fees to people who hadn’t paid their bills.
With those orders recently ending, Mount Airy has sought to bring delinquent accounts up to date, while offering six-month payment plans and assistance from a special Utility Donation Fund initially established in 2008 to aid customers in need.
Despite those initiatives, some simply did not respond, triggering the shutoffs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We ended up cutting off about 260,” Stone said. However, as of Friday morning service had been restored to the majority of those disconnected.
“All but 33 are back on,” Stone said.
“We’ve had a lot come in and pay,” the finance director disclosed.
But this was not the case for everyone. “There’s some really sad situations,” Stone said.
Word of such cases circulated around town, spawning a Facebook campaign that led to people coming forward to help and resulting in the donations cited by Commissioner Koch.
Stone explained that this involved folks contacting personnel at the Municipal Building and offering to pay bills for particular individuals who were behind.
Meanwhile, some customers have tapped into the Utility Donation Fund, she said, which contained $24,000 in late February before the coronavirus pandemic began to flex its muscles.
Stone said it now contains between $18,000 and $19,000.
“That’s great — I hope people take advantage of it,” Commissioner Steve Yokeley said of the presence of that fund during Thursday night’s meeting.
Affected customers may both apply for it and set up a payment plan by contacting the city Finance Department through a one-stop process.
The fund is available only to qualified residential water users, who can receive a one-time payment of their bills up to $100.
Tom Joyce may be reached at 336-415-4693 or on Twitter @Me_Reporter.
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About 260 city water cutoffs occur - Mount Airy News
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