Tacoma’s moratorium on utility shutoffs will end soon. Payment assistance is available
A moratorium on utility shutoffs for Tacoma Public Utilities customers will end soon, about two years after it was enacted by Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards in March 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The moratorium will expire March 31.
Tacoma Public Utilities is encouraging people who have outstanding balances to apply for payment assistance programs. After March 31, Tacoma Public Utilities will begin the process of disconnecting service for nonpayment.
“This additional time is intended to give residents enough notice to make a plan to take care of outstanding balances, including access to programs and resources that may help,” Woodards said in a news release. “We want to get these customers onto a payment plan right away and connect them with resources to catch them up on their payments so that no one loses service, especially the more financially vulnerable in our community.”
Tens of millions of dollars are available through programs funded locally and by the federal government, but customers must apply for them while they last. They are not automatically provided to eligible customers.
To learn about those programs and apply online, visit mytpu.org/COVID19. People can also call the TPU customer service team at 253-502-8600.
TPU staff say they will work with customers with past-due balances to identify available programs and payment options. As of right now, TPU has more than $31 million in overdue customer balances, with about $24 million of that coming from people residing within Tacoma city limits, according to a presentation from TPU at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. Residential customers make up about $20 million. There are 28,600 residential customers with past-due balances, averaging about $965 per account.
Starting this month, customers with past-due balances will receive a series of notifications from TPU. The earliest a customer could be without service is May 2022.
When the moratorium ends on March 31, TPU will place all past-due balances on an automatic, interest-free, 24-month installment plan.
Gov. Jay Inslee also issued a utility shut-off moratorium in 2020. That moratorium ended in September 2021.
This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 1:27 PM.
