At the announcement at Saint Agatha’s Church in North Lawndale, Lightfoot said access to water is a basic human right that too many Chicagoans have had to go without because they have had to choose between paying the utility bills and paying for other needs. The city’s new Utility Billing Relief and Debt Forgiveness program aims to alleviate the burden of overdue water bills on residents.
The new policy will also provide pathways for residents to settle their utility debts by paying a discounted rate of 50 percent for water service, sewer and water-sewer tax bills. After one year of meeting the discounted payments, the city would forgive previously incurred debt.
An estimated 20,000 people will be affected by the relief program, the mayor said, and the changes would lower the average homeowner’s metered bill from $53 to $33 a month.
Lightfoot said this program is a continuation of her larger fines and fees overhaul to stop penalizing people because they can’t afford to keep up with their city bills. The city’s historically regressive fines and fees system “entraps our residents, our neighbors in generational poverty,” Lightfoot said.
“Our families deserve to live their lives without the constant financial stress imposed by city government. They need a pathway to compliance to be able to pay their bills,” the mayor said.
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