Tucson Water will not be cutting off residential water customers due to nonpayment while the federal government remains shut down, the utility said Friday.
The utility will βcontinue to support customersβ through payment plans, bill assistance programs and water conservation tools, said John Kmiec, director of Tucson Water. Kmiec said, βanyone experiencing financial hardship to contact our team.β Tucson families shouldnβt have to choose βbetween paying for utilities or putting food on the table,β Mayor Regina Romero said.
βThis suspension of the shutoffs is the City of Tucsonβs way of taking immediate action to protect families,β she said in a news release. βI am thankful to the Tucson Water team for acting with urgency and care to help people during these difficult times.β
Tucson Water said customers unable to pay their bills should contact The utility about payment plans, bill assistant programs and water conservation tools.
On Friday, the federal government entered its 31st day of being shut down and will stretch into next week, putting it on track to become the longest in history.
Concerns about furloughed government workers not getting paid, skyrocketing health care insurance costs, as well as about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds drying up food aid, have reached a fever pitch.
Romero called the consequences of stalled progress on food assistance funding and lowering health care costs βliterally life and death.β The longest the federal government was shuttered was a 35-day period that ended in early 2019 during Trumpβs first term. That shutdown was due to Trumpβs demands to expand the U.S.-Mexico border wall.
