Myrna Moore, age 80, of Iola does what she can to conserve energy at home.
She uses one small lamp for light. She keeps her heat low in the winter. She saves the rinse water from her dishes to fill the toilet tank.
Even with all that, her utility bill remains so high, she can’t afford essentials such as prescription medications and insurance.
She’s disappointed the city doesn’t offer programs or policies to help.
“When I went to the city, they said there’s things you can do to cut usage. We’re the experts. We can tell them where to cut,” she said.
“If you do use less, they increase their rates because they say the city still has to pay its bills.”
Moore was one of several Iola residents who attended a discussion hosted by Humanity House about Iola’s utility policy. Anti-poverty advocate Tori Bland organized the event on Saturday to gather information in hopes of developing a proposal to submit to Iola City Council.
Bland talked about some suggestions she and other Humanity House officials have developed, but she wanted to hear from residents as part of her research. She’s also been talking to other cities about their utility policies.
Britanie Rogers is another Iola resident who talked about her experiences. She said in her conversations with city staff, she was told “you can always pay ahead.”
“How are you supposed to do that? I have many other bills,” she said. “I’m a single woman and I live alone. I live paycheck-to-paycheck. I can’t save. I can’t pay ahead. It’s not poor management but I’m made to feel ashamed when I need help.”
Rogers said she has faced situations where her utility bill was due and she expected her paycheck within a day or two, but the city would not allow her a grace period.
That’s one of the situations Bland and Humanity House hope to change.
Bland’s preliminary proposal would ask the city to implement two policy adjustments, for both short-term and long-term needs.
The first would allow a short-term “promise-to-pay” agreement for situations like that faced by Rogers, when a customer has a guaranteed source of income expected within two weeks. It would extend the due date without a late fee.
The second proposal would allow customers to enter into a payment arrangement plan for some situations, such as an unusually high bill or personal emergency. The bill could be spread out over a matter of weeks or months.
Bland said her research showed the city had 7,100 delinquent bills in 2021, resulting in $29,725 in late fees and reconnect charges.
