North Baltimore Journal

Grant Award to Assist Baltimore City Residents with Water Bill Debt Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

BALTIMORE, MD.- On May 5, Mayor Brandon M. Scott and Department of Public Works (DPW) Director Jason W. Mitchell, Ed.D., announced that DPW has been selected to receive a $15.87 million grant from the state's Water Assistance Relief Program, which provides support to Maryland residents with water bill debt related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This much-needed grant funding will provide assistance to Baltimore residents facing water bill debt due to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. "The City of Baltimore thanks Governor Wes Moore and his Administration for recognizing the lingering financial effects the pandemic has had on many Baltimore City residents and residents throughout the state who are struggling to recover."

DPW was one of 19 water systems throughout the state that applied for and were awarded funding from the Maryland Water Assistance Relief Program. This funding has been made available from Maryland's State and Local Fiscal Relief Fund award under the American Rescue Plan Act.

"This is a great win for Baltimore residents and underscores the City's efforts to ensure that water costs remain affordable for our residents," said DPW Director Mitchell. "I especially want to thank DPW employees for championing this effort on behalf of the residents that we serve."

At a later date, DPW will issue information on how the grant funding will be applied to assist residents with water bill debt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more details on the Water Assistance Program and to view the Governor Moore's grant announcement on Thursday, April 27, 2023, please visit: State of Maryland Water System Assistance Program.

DPW encourages residents to explore all available water assistance programs. Residents can visit DPW's Water Affordability Portal to determine which affordability program they may be eligible for, including the City of Baltimore's Water4All Program, PromisePay payment plans, and the State of Maryland's Low Income Household Water Assistance Program.

Currently, all Baltimore City residential customers are eligible to receive a one-time 5 percent discount when signing up for paperless billing. Residents must sign up by Wednesday, May 31, 2023 to receive the discount.

Original source can be found here.