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Resolution No. 20-50 CITY OF TIGARD, OREGON TIGARD CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO. 20-50 A RESOLUTION REPEALING RESOLUTION NO. 20-47, EXPANDING ELIGIBILITY FOR TIGARD'S PROGRAM TO PROVIDE A MONTHLY UTILITY PAYMENT FOR MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL AND BUSINESS TENANTS AFFECTED BY COVID-19, AND EXTENDING THE DURATION OF THE PROGRAM WHEREAS, on March 17, 2020, Tigard City Council passed Resolution No. 20-14, declaring an emergency related to COVID-19 and temporarily waiving late fees and shutoff actions on utility accounts until the end of the emergency. WHEREAS, on May 12, 2020,Tigard City Council passed Resolution No. 20-24, approving a monthly utility credit of up to$40 per month for unemployed residential utility customers and business customers negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic;and WHEREAS, in early August, Washington County authorized $3 million in utility assistance funding as part of Washington County CARES, which was intended to provide payment of full utility bills to unemployed and underemployed residential customers,as well as business customers adversely affected by COVID-19;and WHEREAS,on September 22,2020,Tigard City Council passed Resolution No.20-47,which authorized a credit of up to the full amount per month towards a residential customer's Tigard utility account bill upon verification of unemployment or underemployment associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, authorized a credit of the full amount up to $500 per month towards a commercial customer's Tigard utility account bill upon verification of negative impact from COVID-19 pandemic, and extended the waiving of late fees and shutoff actions to January 1, 2021; and WHEREAS, Tigard City Council also wishes to provide assistance to multi-family or commercial tenant customers who have been financially affected by COVID-19, but who do not directly pay Tigard utility bills; and WHEREAS, the City has determined $100 per month represents the estimated monthly average a renter of a multi-family unit would pay for their Tigard utility bill. WHEREAS, repealing Resolution No. 20-47 and incorporating utility bill credit assistance into this action will provide consistency among City assistance programs. NOW,THEREFORE,BE IT RESOLVED by the Tigard City Council that: SECTION 1: Resolution No. 20-47 is repealed and replaced with this resolution. SECTION 2: Upon verification of unemployment or underemployment associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, as determined by the City of Tigard, the City may credit up to the full amount per month towards a residential customer's Tigard utility account bill. The credit is available to all residential customers served by a Tigard utility, including customers outside the city limits for whom Tigard provides water service. A customer must reapply for the credit each month in order to continue receiving it. RESOLUTION NO. 20-50 Page 1 SECTION 3: Upon verification that a business has been negatively impacted by COVID-19, such as for a forced closure or curtailment of operations,the City may credit up to$500 per month towards a business customer's Tigard utility account bill.The credit is available to all business customers served by a Tigard utility,including customers outside the city limits for which Tigard provides water service.A customer must reapply for the credit each month in order to continue receiving it. SECTION 4: Upon verification of unemployment or underemployment associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, as determined by the City of Tigard, the City may provide payment of $100 per month to a resident of a multifamily unit in the Tigard Utility Billing Service Area. A parry must reapply for the payment each month in order to continue receiving it. SECTION 5: Upon verification that a business has been negatively impacted by COVID-19, such as for a forced closure or curtailment of operations, the City may provide payment of either (a) $100 per month,or (b) the actual amount paid by the business each month in Tigard utilities,up to $500 per month,to a tenant of a commercial complex in the Tigard Utility Billing Service Area. A party must reapply for the payment each month in order to continue receiving it. SECTION 6: This utility bill payment program will remain in effect until June 30, 2021 or until the funding that the City has allocated for this program is spent, whichever comes first. The City has previously allocated $625,000 for the residential program and $125,000 for the business program. SECTION 7: The City may adopt rules and procedures to implement this utility payment program. SECTION 8: The City of Tigard will temporarily waive all late fees and shutoff actions for utility accounts accruing as of March 16,2020 and continuing until April 1,2021. SECTION 9: This resolution is effective immediately upon passage. PASSED: This 20th day of October 2020. ayor- City of Tigard ATTEST: (-�/Ooa�j Deputy City Recordetj City of Tigard RESOLUTION NO. 20-50 Page 2