11-22-04 Council Meeting Minutes

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REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 22,2004 WHEREAS, the South Bend Common Council has been advised that in 2004, approximately $3 million was paid for heating assistance alone in St. Joseph County, Indiana: and WHEREAS, the South Bend Common Council is aware that significant changes addressing deposits, disconnections, the filing of complaints, and other regulations are being proposed which will affect regard to gas, electric, telephone and sewer utilities; and WHEREAS, the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission (IURC) is proposing changes to the administrative rules on customer service rights and responsibilities and utility laws that may be beneficial to utility customers; and WHEREAS, the South Bend Common Council recognizes that utility deposits are almost impossible for many low-income and middle-income residents to pay and in such instances create hardships upon them as well as on the community service organizations which help to provide financial assistance; and WHEREAS, the Common Council believes that the proposal which would reduce utility deposits to the average of one (1) month of a yearly billing would be a fair and practical solution and therefore supports this measure in an attempt to lessen the hardship imposed upon all utility consumers; and WHEREAS, the Common Council does not support the use of predetermined credit scores based on a person's ability to pay utility bills in order to determine whether or not a deposit will be required. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMON COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, AS FOLLOWS: SECTION I. The Common Council of the City of South Bend, Indiana, urges the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission to adopt rules and regulations which will be fair and equitable to all concerned. SECTION II. The Common Council formally thanks the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission for agreeing to hold a public hearing in the Bendix Theater at the Century Center in downtown South Bend, so that it may hear the many concerns of the residents and utility customers. SECTION III. The Common Council encourages the Indiana Utilities Regulatory Commission to adopt rules and regulations that will significantly reduce or eliminate the resulting hardship resulting from the required utility deposits from utility customers and we therefore strongly encourage the IURC to adopt rules, which would establish utility deposits to be the average of one (1) month of a yearly billing. SECTION IV. The Common Council further encourages the IURC to adopt rules and regulations that continue to use credit worthiness and not credit scoring when determining whether a consumer would be required to pay a deposit. SECTION V. This Resolution shall be in full force and effect from and after its adoption by the Common Council and approval by the Mayor. s/A1 `Buddy" Kirsits Member of the Common Council Attest: s/John Voorde, City Clerk Presented by me to the Mayor of the City of South Bend, Indiana, on the a day of ovl] i E' 2004, at /e. 50 o'clocka- .m. s/Janice Talboom 21