WKOW 27: New pilot program aims to reduce utility bills of low-income households in Madison
Emily Ness, WKOW 27
MADISON (WKOW) – The City of Madison is working to lower utility bills for thousands of low-income households through a new pilot program.
The Madison Customer Assistance, or MadCAP program, will be offered to both renters and homeowners who meet the following criteria.
“This is the first water utility financial assistance program in Wisconsin,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said during a press conference Tuesday.
MadCAP would provide eligible residents making between 30 and 50% of the area’s median income a $20.00 monthly credit, and eligible residents making 30% or less than the area’s median income a $30.00 monthly credit.
On average, Madison’s Water Utility Manager, Krishna Kumar, said people spend about $100.00 on their utility bills per month. So, this $20 to $30 in savings could make a difference for people struggling to buy gas or groceries.
“We can't control all of their costs, but this is one cost in people's daily lives that the city does have control over, and we are happy to be able to give them just a little bit of a break on these bills,” Rhodes-Conway said.
Kumar said the real challenge is making sure the program is able to reach the people who qualify for it so they can benefit from it.
The pilot program was approved by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. The city said it is slated to last for two years and will cost about $375,000 per year. The city added the pilot program is estimated to benefit 8,000 households in Madison.
"Over the next two years, we plan to learn from it to understand how many households need assistance in our community and how we can better ease the way for them to participate," Rhodes-Conway said.
Right now, Rhodes-Conway is up for re-election. 27 News reached out to Madison Mayoral Candidate Gloria Reyes, who is challenging Rhodes-Conway, to see how she would like to help low-income residents if elected.
Reyes shared a statement with 27 News that said that she's happy to see the work that is being done to help Madisonians, but it's short-sighted.
"The current administration is attempting to implement one time fixes, instead of comprehensive solutions to make Madison affordable for everyone. We cannot continue to pursue one time solutions for every problem,” her statement read in part.
She went on to say her solution is threefold: the city needs a transportation system that serves those that need it the most, more jobs need to be created that pay "more than a living wage," and one-time federal funds need to be used to coordinate non-profit organizations to combat homelessness and economic insecurity.
Rhodes-Conway went on to announce enrollment for the new pilot program opens March 1. You can apply for the program by filling out this application.
Read the original article here.