SAN ANTONIO – Many SAWS customers have been sharing their concerns and questions about a fee that appeared on their water bills last month.
The fee is part of the Uplift Assistance Program, which was voted on last November by San Antonio city council members.
“This fee was actually part of the rates for our water and wastewater beforehand,” said Anne Hayden, SAWS spokesperson. “It was always built into our rates, and it helps our most vulnerable customers retain water and sewer rates.”
Hayden said the SAWS Rate Advisory Committee asked for the charge to be broken out into a separate fee on customers’ water bills. It went into effect in January, and customers saw it on their February bills.
The SAWS board and city council also overhauled how its customers pay for water and sewer services. Before this separation on SAWS’ bill, customers were already paying an affordability program.
“It doesn’t affect the bottom line of your bill. It’s about $0.32 cents per a thousand gallons. Most people will see a very small amount, about $1.50 or so,” said Hayden.
Nearly 32,000 households in the San Antonio area rely on this fund to help pay for their water bills. Hayden said they have to meet certain thresholds and qualify for the program.
“We use a federal threshold that defines people who are living in the poverty line,” said Hayden. “If you have a limited income, you pay a very minor amount for that indoor water assistance that you that you need.”
But many KSAT viewers had questions about whether the fund was legal, considered a charity, or whether they could opt out of the program.
Hayden said the fee is not something that customers can opt out of, and was approved by the SAWS board and city council as part of the utility’s rate structure.
Hayden added it’s not “a charity,” and proceeds help pay for qualified customers’ bills. She said that 100% of proceeds go to the fund and do not pay for any SAWS salaries.
“It was something that was always part of the bill,” said Hayden. “We just separated it out as a separate fee.”