KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The city of Independence is altering some utility operations due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
On Thursday, Mayor Eileen Weir announced all late fees on utility accounts will be waived for the next 60 days.
According to the news release, some billing cycles are as much as two weeks behind as utility employees are affected by COVID-19.
Weir said this and other pandemic challenges prompted the Dec. 1 decision.
The other change announced was the discontinuation of commercial disconnects for the next 60 days.
Residential disconnects will still take place with the exception of cold weather rule days and during the month of January.
The city will continue to issue disconnect notices, which are needed to apply for some utility assistance programs, according to the news release.
Funding for the assistance program comes from the CARES Act and must be spent by Dec. 30.
“Increased cases are causing additional stress for families and businesses. We hope that by eliminating our commercial disconnects and all account late fees for City of Independence Utility customers we can ease some of the worries for families in our area,” Weir said in the release.
In addition to the utility changes announce Thursday, Weir said the city is moving all public and employee meetings to virtual platforms with no in-person or hybrid option.
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