More relief money planned for City of Austin Utilities customers in need of financial help

February 10, 2021

It’s been nearly a year since Austin reported its first COVID-19 case. City of Austin Utilities understands our ability to get through this time depends on us helping each other. That’s why on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, City of Austin Utilities will bring a proposal to Austin City Council to add another $10 million to the City’s Utility Bill Relief effort. This proposal will be introduced to the Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee at its regular meeting Wednesday, Feb. 10. City Council initially approved Utility Bill Relief funding in April 2020. Since then, the City has distributed $10.8 million in Utility Bill Relief funding to nearly 15,000 individual households.

With this additional funding, City of Austin Utilities stands ready to help residential customers financially impacted by COVID-19. Customers can apply for emergency assistance online at AustinBillHelp.com. If customers need extra time to pay their bills, they’re encouraged to contact City of Austin Utilities at 512-494-9400. Our team of experts can explain helpful payment plan options and assist customers with a strategy to catch up on missed payments and bring accounts that have fallen behind into good standing.

“City of Austin Utilities has many options available to help customers during this difficult time, but we need them to contact us so that we can provide assistance” said Kerry Overton, Deputy General Manager and Chief Customer & Compliance Officer. “We know our customers are facing hardships and we want to help them avoid accumulating large, unpaid balances.”

As City of Austin Utilities begins a phased-in approach to standard collection processes, we want to continue to help as many customers as possible. If customers have a past-due bill, they should act now to avoid late-payment fees and maintain services without interruption. Disconnections for non-payment are expected to resume in late spring/early summer.