Saint John owed $5.2M in unpaid water bills
City sends out 437 water shut-off notices as part of 'aggressive collection program'
Saint John Water has sent out 437 water shut-off notices as part of its "aggressive collection program" for unpaid water bills.
The accounts are both residential and non-residential.
Out of the 437 shut-off notices, about 80 per cent have resulted in payments or payment plans.
"As of yesterday, 136 people have paid, 168 payments plans are in place and another 47 people were put on pre-authorized debit," said Yeomans.
"It's a very high success rate."
Finance staff are working with 44 more overdue accounts.
If payments are made or a payment plan is agreed upon, that would boost the program's success rate to more than 90 per cent.
"It leads to the fact that people want to pay their bills and we want to work with them to enable them to pay their bills," said Yeomans.
Low-income residents suffering
While the program has prompted most people to pay their bills, the situation may not be so easy for low-income residents, said Mary LeSage, a part-time operations manager at People United in the Lower South End.
When combining water bills with other living costs, those with low income or on social assistance may suffer, said LeSage.
"Minimum wage hasn't gone up," she said.
"Cheques for the seniors, they're staying the same with a very minimal increase. We're still in the same boat. Their rent's going up, and there's just no balancing."
Even if a full payment isn't possible, LeSage said to at least try to arrange a payment plan with the city.
It's an idea echoed by Yeomans.
"We work with people if they're having any difficulty paying," said Yeomans.
"We'll work out payment plans. We do pre-authorized debit. We want to help people pay their bills of course and we've always done that. It's just a little heightened awareness."