August 31, 2020
KUB to resume service disconnections Oct. 19
As our community navigates a new normal, some may find themselves in need of financial assistance. Funds are available through community agencies to help residents who are unable to pay utility bills. More than $4 million dollars in funding from the Federal CARES Act, grants, and local donations, are available to help our community. These funds will be distributed by the Knoxville-Knox County Community Action Committee (CAC), Project Help, and other local agencies. Information on how to apply for these funds is available at www.kub.org/help.
“People in our community may be experiencing difficulties paying bills for the very first time due to the effects of the pandemic and they may be unaware of all the agencies that can help them,” said Barbara Kelly, CAC Executive Director. “We encourage those in need to reach out so that we can guide them through the process and work together to get their needs met.”
In mid-March KUB suspended disconnections for nonpayment to ensure that customers facing financial difficulties had continued access to safe and reliable utility services regardless of the ability to pay. After being suspended for seven months to aid the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, KUB will resume utility service disconnections for nonpayment beginning Monday, October 19.
“But even as we resume our normal billing operations, disconnecting our customers is the last thing we want to do,” said Gabriel Bolas, KUB President and CEO. “We want to make it as easy as possible for customers to stay in service, so we’re making some changes to help them.” Those customers who have fallen significantly behind on payment will be automatically enrolled in a generous repayment plans which could allow as much as 15 months to repay overdue balances while utilities remain in service. KUB is also waiving late fees for these customers.
If you would like to help your neighbor in need, you can donate to United Way or Project Help. Visit www.uwgk.org for information on supporting United Way. Donations to Project Help can be made by selecting an option on the back of a KUB monthly bill, via one-time bank draft when paying their bill online, by visiting a KUB payment kiosk, or by mailed check. Details for donating to Project Help can be found at www.kub.org/projecthelp.
Together, our community can get through this. Please call KUB at 865-524-2911 with questions or to find out more about utility bill assistance. The attached document contains a list of regional agencies that serve our community, which represent only a small number of those in our community who are available to help.
About Knoxville Utilities Board
KUB is a municipal utility serving Knox and parts of seven adjacent counties and provides electric, gas, water, and wastewater services to more than 464,000 customers.
Contact:
KUB Communications
865-594-7988
