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Home My WebLink AboutIR 25-0008INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 25-0008 p�T�A4 Grp 4 i { i7 Y rF rn 1075 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 14, 2025 Page 1 of 3 SUBJECT: "NO WATER" INCIDENTS INVOLVING CODE COMPLIANCE AND NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES PARTICIPATION Fort Worth Water's (FWW) water shut-off and delinquency management process is designed to prevent customers from having unpaid utility bills. Customers are provided myriad opportunities to resolve outstanding balances before service disruption occurs. Outlined below are the key elements of the shut off process, actions involving Code Compliance, as well as support services offered by Neighborhood Services to assist residents in identifying resources for maintaining and restoring water service. Water Shut Off and Delinquency Management Process Water utility shut-off and delinquency management practices are detailed in IR 23-0742. Attachment A from that IR (and attached again here) provides an overview of the delinquency timeline. In addition to the monthly bill, customers receive an automated call and an urgent notice through the mail advising them of their unpaid balance prior to shut-off on day 52. Code Compliance Involvement Living without water service can lead to unsanitary living conditions and is against City code. Code Compliance receives such complaints from individuals, or discovers situations when looking into other issues. Sometimes, Water Customer Relations staff refers cases. When Code receives a complaint, their staff investigates, notifies the occupants of the violation, and may issue notices or citations that set deadlines for service restoration. In extreme cases, staff may order that the property be vacated if conditions are deemed unsafe. Fortunately, "no water" complaints are few, as noted in the chart below. They occur so infrequently that a "case type" in the utility billing system has not been developed for tracking purposes. "No Water Service" Violations and Citations Issued Total Code No Water % No Water Fiscal Year Service Violations Violations Service Citations FY2024 35,023 176 0.50% 102 FY2023 33,217 118 0.36% 50 FY2022 39,035 184 0.47% 16 "No Water Service" Violations by Council District Fiscal Year CD2 CD3 CD4 CD5 CD6 CD7 CD8 CD9 CD10 CD11 Total FY2024 30 7 3 32 11 4 28 16 4 41 176 FY2023 13 7 0 13 2 5 40 15 2 21 118 FY2022 30 14 2 48 1 14 9 41 15 0 11 184 ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 25-0008 p�T�A4 Grp 4 i { i7 Y rF rn 1075 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 14, 2025 Page 2 of 3 SUBJECT: "NO WATER" INCIDENTS INVOLVING CODE COMPLIANCE AND NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES PARTICIPATION Water Utility Efforts to Prevent Delinquency The first tier of volume rates for residential customers is kept low and affordable for customers to meet basic needs of bathing, cooking and cleaning. The utility notifies customers of possible leaks using Advanced Metering Infrastructure data and refers low-income customers to the utility's SmartRepair Plumbing Program for qualifying repairs. Water Conservation replaces high -flow toilets and faucets with "WaterSense" water saving alternatives. FWW provides flexible electronic billing and payment options, and leak repair bill credits under qualifying situations once leaks are fixed. Also, bill due dates can be extended or customers may be put on payment installment plans. Neighborhood Services Department Outreach and Support The Neighborhood Services Department works closely with FWW and plays an integral role in ensuring that residents facing water shut offs receive the support they need. The Community Action Partners (CAP) program is a division of the Neighborhood Services Department that serves as the Community Action Agency for Tarrant County and provides comprehensive services to economically disadvantaged customers. CAP receives funding from multiple sources, some of which goes toward water bill assistance. Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Emergency Funds — Qualifying households can receive one- time water bill assistance per grant term. These funds can cover all fees excluding tampering fees. A household's gross income must be below 200% of the Federal Poverty Limit. Forward Home Veteran Assistance (FHVA) Program — Qualifying veterans or veteran families can receive one-time water bill assistance per grant term. The grant may cover up to six months of arrears for all fees, including the current month, not exceeding $3,000.00. The grant does not cover future months. The Housing and Urban Development's Area Median Income is used to determine eligibility. City of Fort Worth's Water Donation Funds — Qualifying households can receive one-time water bill assistance per calendar year, as funding permits. The donations will cover arrears and the current month's bill, not to exceed $300.00 per household. A household's gross income must be below 175% of the Federal Poverty Limit. Repurposed State Agency Program Funds — Qualifying households can receive one-time water bill assistance per calendar year, as funding permits. A household's gross income must be below 175% of the Federal Poverty Limit. Assistance covers arrears and the current month's bill up to $2,400.00. Households receiving assistance through other CAP programs are not eligible for assistance through this program. Low -Income Housing Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) — Federal Funds Exhausted Under this program, eligible households received up to eight months of water bill assistance, excluding garbage fees but including charges for Stormwater. Assistance covered outstanding utility bills (arrears) with up to $85 per month paid in a lump sum to the utility. To qualify, household income had to be below ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 25-0008 p�T�A4 Grp 4 i { i7 Y rF rn 1075 To the Mayor and Members of the City Council January 14, 2025 Page 3 of 3 SUBJECT: "NO WATER" INCIDENTS INVOLVING CODE COMPLIANCE AND NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICES PARTICIPATION 150% of the Federal Poverty Limit, though households above this limit were eligible if receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or Means Tested Veteran's assistance. Funding was available through both the CAP program and a state - run affiliate (Texas Utility Help). Future funding for this assistance is being considered in federal legislation, and staff encourages the City Council to support this program. Water Utility Assistance by Year and Funding Source Funding Source 2022 2023 2024 Grand Total CSBG Emergency Funds $21,925.7 $1,829.98 $2,015.43 $25,771.11 # of HH Assisted CSBG 58 6 4 68 FHVA Program $3,606.38 $1,256.82 $7,495.32 $12,358.52 # of HH Assisted FHVA 1 8 22 31 COFW Water Donation Funds - - $4,399.46 $4,399.46 # of HH Assisted COFW - - 20 20 Repurposed State Agency Funds $577.49 $410.43 $170.69 $1,158.61 # of HH Assisted Repurposed 2 4 1 7 LIHWAP (NHS/CAP) $172,469.89 $1,124,239.29 $635,917.17 $1,932,626.35 #HH Assisted LIHWAP 466 2538 1,908 4,912 LIHWAP (Texas Utility Help) $42,600.65 $1,083,625.16 $481.67 $1,126,707.48 #HH Assisted Texas Utility 168 2212 2 2,382 Other Charities $144,331.40 $263,595.91 $132,324.21 $540,251.52 #HH Assisted Other Charities 1,083 849 1,079 3,011 TOTALS BY YEAR $385,511.51 $2,474,957.59 $782,803.95 $3,643,273.05 1,778 1 5,617 1 3,036 1 10,431 Priority Repair Assistance — In addition to the financial assistance programs above, the Priority Repair Program helps Fort Worth homeowners in need of emergency or mechanical system home repairs, limited to once every 12 months based on eligibility. Types of repairs included as Priority One under the program include assistance with water service line breaks and other plumbing related concerns that often contribute to higher than normal bills which can result in customers falling into delinquency. The City's water shut-off and delinquency management process is effective at preventing prolonged service disruptions while balancing the needs of vulnerable residents. Code Compliance actions are rarely required, as proactive outreach and support from FWW and NSD programs ensure that most issues are resolved before they escalate. Staff's focus remains on assisting residents with maintaining and restoring their water service to ensure healthy, safe living conditions. Should you have any questions about "No Water" incidents, please contact Brian Daugherty, Code Compliance Director, at 817-392-6322; Kacey Bess, Neighborhood Services Director at 817-392-8187; or Chris Harder, Water Director, at 817-392-5020. David Cooke City Manager ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS It It 7� Bill Date ' Bill available on the portal/mailed for payment Due Date Current charges due within 21 days ' Auto Pay Bank draft processed Late Fee Applied 10% fee on current charges outstanding 3 days after due date Approx. Next Bill Available/Mailed Day 30Indicating past due balance & itemizing late fee Delinquent ' Becomes delinquent 36 days from bill date Approx. Outbound Dialer Call Day 37 Automated dialer call placed to qualifying delinquent accounts 1 day after with minimum due of $25.00 (residential) & $500 (commercial) delinquent Approx. Urgent Notice Day 39 Letter generated and mailed to all customers; available on 3 days after the portal delinquent Approx. Water Shut Off Day 52 Work order created to shut off water and location notified with 16 days after door tag (delinquency must be at least $75.00 to trigger cut-off) delingwt $20 fee is assessed to next bill