The city's Department of Utilities today unveiled its Utility Rate Assistance Program.
"This is the first time the city of Sacramento has been able to offer this program for our residents."
Jessica Hess is with the department. She explains that people
with a low or fixed income can apply to save up to $72 a year on
utility costs.
Those costs are going up because of recent water and
wastewater rate increases. Customers will see a total increase of
about $19 a month from their current bill by the year 2014.
The money will be used to help replace aging
infrastructure.
"We have pipe in the ground that is between 70 and 100
years old throughout most of the older parts of town. We will be,
over the next several years, rehabilitating the oldest of those
pipes."
The city is using some of its taxes on utility enterprise
revenues to help fund the new Utility Rate Assistance
Program.