Washougal could expand utility aid

The city of Washougal is proposing to double the amount of money residents can collect per year from its emergency utility assistance program (EUAP).

The Washougal City Council will vote on Monday, Aug. 26, on a recommendation to allow residents to apply for the program once every six months. Currently, a qualifying customer can collect a maximum of $250 no more than once every 12 months.

“This proposal originated with our City team members who directly engage with customers who qualify for and seek assistance from our utility assistance program based on income, and are generally in need of financial assistance,” City Manager David Scott told The Post-Record. “As our team members have interacted with these customers, they recognized that an additional annual opportunity to access our utility assistance program would be helpful, and that we could accommodate that for a very modest cost to our utilities.”

The City created the EUAP in 2013, to assist its low-income customers who have a demonstrated need in paying their water and/or sewer utility bills, using $95,000 from utility reserves.

According to the City, funding for the program “is provided by the generous donations of city of Washougal utility employees, customers and others.”

“Every penny donated to this program goes directly to assist qualifying customers,” the website states. “None of the funds are used for administrative expenses.”

In 2016, the Council approved an ordinance to augment the EAUP fund with additional revenues.

“It turned out that not enough donations were coming in to actually keep the program running, so a resolution was established to set up funding to come from the penalties collected by the utility,” Washougal Finance Director Daniel Layer said. “Five percent of the penalties from the previous year (have been) collected, calculated and transferred into this fund. That number is rounded up to the nearest thousand.”

The City is also seeking Council approval to increase the transfers of penalty revenues from its water, stormwater and sewer accounts from 5% to 10% to fund the proposed change to the EUAP.

To qualify for the program, a household must be billed by the City for water services as a residential, single-family account; verified by the City; demonstrate an annual income that meets eligibility standards for the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program ($45,000 for a family of four in 2024); not receive subsidized housing assistance; and have received a disconnection notice from the City.

The City has approved 11 EUAP applications, totalling $2,618, in 2024. In 2023, the City approved 19 applications for $4,541. The EUAP fund currently has a balance of $6,880.

“The 2024 revenues, which come from 2023 penalties, were about $5,000 — $,2000 from water, $2,000 from sewer, and then $1,000 from the stormwater fund,” he said. “Customers are assessed a 10% percent penalty if they don’t pay within 30 days or so (of the due date).”

Washougal residents have voiced concerns about the high cost of their bi-monthly utility bills. Washougal’s average utility bill is $153, higher than Camas ($116), La Center ($100), Ridgefield ($92), Battle Ground ($102) and Vancouver ($106), according to the city of Vancouver.

Washougal’s average utility bill was $293.06 during the latest billing cycle, which ended on July 31, according to Layer.

“That amount is going to go up now that the summer months are here and individuals are watering and filling their pools,” Layer added. “We expect that the average will go above $300 over the next few months.”