LEAGUE CITY, Texas — League City is still collecting water bills, but missing a few will be less painful for furloughed federal workers who live there or those still working without a paycheck.
“We expect a lot more people to come in,” said utility billing manager Nancy Massey.
Massey heard from one crying customer herself.
“She goes, 'Nancy, they furloughed us. What can ya’ll do?'” Massey said. “I said, 'Let’s just go ahead and waive the late penalties. Let’s make sure you don’t get shut off and your water service continues and everything will be OK.'”
It’s difficult to say how many League City customers are impacted by the shutdown, but the city isn’t far from NASA’s sprawling Johnson Space Center where workers held a rally last week.
“I’m trying to figure out which bills to pay and which bills I can’t pay,” said one employee.
Utility bills are still being delivered during the shutdown in League City. Late fee notices will continue to go out to federal workers with unpaid bills.
“But the good thing is we’ll be able to turn around and waive those penalties for those customers,” Massey said.
To be clear, water bills are not being waived. The policy only applies to late fees or penalties.
Customers will be expected to settle any balances once they’re back to work.
The League City City Council is expected to sign off on the change during its Tuesday night meeting.