Urban League and county staff report low assistance uptake, mounting delinquencies and planned outreach for DeKalb water customers

At a Finance, Audit and Budget Committee meeting chaired by Commissioner Ted Terry, the Urban League and county water staff briefed commissioners on the DeKalb County water‑rate assistance program, program eligibility, outreach and county billing and collections data.

Dorna Wordlin of the Urban League said the organization administers the county’s water and sewer customer advocacy program aimed at low‑ and moderate‑income residents. Wordlin reported, “Through February 28, we have had 99 applications with 85 approvals,” and explained the program uses an affordability index (based on household gross income multiplied and compared to a 4.5% threshold) to determine eligibility. She said many applicants (presenter cited 514 in one slide) were ineligible because their bills already fell below the affordability index; another group (about 126 through February) had high consumption relative to household size and were referred for leak investigation and CAP Cares plumbing repairs so they could reapply after repairs.

Commissioners challenged and sought clarification of the counts. Wordlin said 172 applications were pending because applicants had not submitted required documentation (most commonly proof of income); staff follow up by phone, text and email to secure missing documents. Commissioners also discussed tracking CAP Cares referrals and whether the county’s vendor capacity for plumbing repairs would keep pace as outreach expands.

Wordlin described outreach plans including on‑site application events at senior centers, presentations at commissioner town halls and a geo‑targeted social media campaign. She said the Urban League would provide a one‑page flyer with a QR code for commissioners to include in newsletters and the utility bill.

Director McNab presented county water‑billing data and collection practices. She reported an outstanding balance on active accounts of roughly $137.5 million (staff noted not all of that is collectible), summarized aging buckets (current, 31–60 days, older debts) and described lien authority on owner accounts (collected at sale) and payment‑plan offers for tenants. McNab said the county has recorded numerous liens across property types and keeps reserves for inactive accounts; she noted inactive account totals include approximately $29M in owner balances and $93M in tenant balances on the county ledger.

McNab said operational problems with a print vendor reduced or delayed disconnection notices, suppressing disconnections that might otherwise have occurred; staff expect disconnections and collections to increase as notices resume. She said about 2,700 payment plans exist but many default because customers stop making payments. The county is expanding referral and wraparound services (including directing callers to the Urban League) and plans to contract with a third‑party collections agency for inactive accounts.

Commissioners raised policy questions about tenant remedies when landlords fail to make repairs that cause excessive usage; speakers noted recent state legislative changes have limited tenants’ options to make repairs and offset rent, complicating remedies in such cases. Commissioners asked staff and partners (Urban League, Community Development) to coordinate outreach, track referrals and circulate updated March program numbers when available.

The committee did not vote on new policy or program funding at this meeting; staff were asked to provide updated reports and outreach materials for distribution.