A new program to help people in Astoria pay their utility bills is officially accepting applications.
At a meeting this week, the Astoria City Council approved the six month pilot program which will be administered in partnership with Clatsop Community Action.
Over the next six months, the city hopes to collect more information about who is looking for monthly assistance on their water and sewer bills and iron out how a permanent program might work.
Participation in the pilot program is based on income level with eligibility set at 30% of the area median income for Clatsop County. For a three person household that would mean a monthly income of just over $2,000 or an annual income of $26,050.
Once an application is approved, it will stand for the entire six months, through March 2027. Approved customers can expect to see assistance of roughly 10% of their average consumption based on their household size. This could mean anywhere from $17 to $43 of assistance per billing cycle.
Mayor Sean Fitzpatrick said the pilot program is intended to be “a learning period.”
He and the other city councilors have said that even people who don’t meet the income eligibility requirements but who struggle to pay their utility bills should apply so the city can fully understand the need that exists and adjust the program in the future.
At a work session at the end of September to discuss the pilot program, City Councilor Andy Davis commented, “We might be able to create a program that I think the intent would be to offset the damage that’s done for people on this lower end of the spectrum when we raise rates.”
The pilot program came out of concerns about the impacts of increased utility rates on Astorians. During budget committee discussions earlier this year, the city councilors asked city staff to examine an existing assistance program and come up with recommendations for how to improve and update it.
The previous program was something people really only accessed in an emergency, said Ryan Quigley, who works as the assistant to City Manager Scott Spence and helped develop the pilot program. People could only apply once every six months, or twice in a year. Few people used the program.
The city has committed $25,000 for disbursement through the pilot program. Once the funds are exhausted, the assistance will no longer be available. The city plans to take information gathered during the pilot period and discuss a permanent program going into the next budget cycle.