Plano mayor urges City Council to consider water, sewer bill assistance

PLANO – The possibility of Plano residents getting some financial relief on city water and sewer bills may be in the works amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, according to city officials.

Plano Mayor Bob Hausler said during the Monday, April 13 remote City Council meeting that he would like the City Council to consider the relief in the form of a $50 credit for Plano residents. For each $50 credit per resident, he said, half would come from the city's water fund and the other half would come from the city's sewer fund.

“I think in this time we should do something for our residents,” Hausler said.

Hausler said he would like the matter to appear on the next City Council meeting's agenda for a possible vote on whether to approve the relief. He said the city would implement the relief for water billing cycles as soon as they can appear on the accounts following the vote, should it be approved.

Hausler said residents are billed for water and sewer every other month, where half of the city's residents get the bill during odd months and the other half get them during even months. He said the thought is for all accounts to get the one-time credit.

Hausler said that, after discussing the matter with the city attorney, the city would exclude elected officials from the benefit, due to the credit being considered an additional benefit for those officials.

Hausler said he believes the proposed water bill relief would cost the city a total of $200,000.

The update comes after Plano city officials confirmed an attendee at a Feb. 24 City Council meeting has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Hausler had said the male attendee was not a city employee but someone who lived outside of Kendall County. He had said the attendee's supervisor called him on Wednesday, March 18 morning and then he immediately called the Kendall County Health Department for their guidance on the matter.

Hausler said on Tuesday, April 14 there have been no additional COVID-19 cases stemming from that exposure as far as he's aware. He also said there have been no confirmed cases among city staff or elected officials.

Hausler said he believes citizens have been responsible and responsive thus far about recommendations and rules in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’ve only had very minor incidents where our police have been called,” Hausler said.

Hausler said city buildings still remain closed to the public and are only open for city staff. He said the city is starting to phase its employees back in after several city employees were off for a while for original two weeks.

Hausler said the city had to lay off a couple of workers temporarily due to economic effects of COVID-19, including building attendants at the train depot because the depot was shut down for three weeks so far and going on its fourth. He said there's a similar situation happening with crossing guards as well.

“With school not being in session and probably not for the rest of this year, those folks are not working, either,” Hausler said.

In the meantime, Hausler said, the city is doing everything they can to protect employees and the public during this unusual time.

"Hopefully in May or June there's an opportunity to open up some of the businesses that are closed and to start phasing in back into a somewhat normal pattern for the city," Hausler said. "But we're going to follow the [county] health department and [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] and whatever governor's orders and recommendations [that come in]."