Austin Energy Low Income Customer Advocates - April 16, 2014
Austin Energy Low Income Customer Advocates Regular Meeting of the Austin Energy Low Income Customer Advocates - Meeting will be held in the Assembly Room.
Austin Energy Consumer Advocates Working Group April 16, 2014 9:30 am – 12:30 pm 721 Barton Springs Road Town Lake Center, Assembly Room 100 Agenda Goal: To understand the current rules and to develop a sustainable set of recommended rules for: • Revising deferred payment plans and service disconnections • Developing an arrearage management plan, and, • Revising appropriate customer service practices. Meeting Objectives 1. Review subcommittee’s recommendation for an Arrearage Management Program 2. Discuss arrearage management program components 3. Develop draft of Working Committee’s Arrearage Management Program 9:15 AM Gathering and Sign-In 9:30 AM Welcome, Objectives and Agenda Ground Rules and Updates Presentation of Arrearage Management Program by subcommittee • Program design process • Program recommendations Discussion on Arrearage Management Program components 12:00 PM Discussion on Remaining Work and Meeting Schedule Wrap-up and Next Steps 12:30 PM Adjourn Thank you for your participation today.
Austin Energy Low Income Consumer Advocates-Payment Arrangement Design Policy Worksheet DRAFTTarget PopulationEligibilityLength of TermNumber of PA's AllowedDown Payment$ Amount ThresholdDeposit on PAPA DisqualificationAll ResidentialAll ResidentialUp to 8 months (CSR)Up to 12 months (Supervisors)Up to 36 months (Customer Assistance Team)Unlimited-as long as the account is brought to 0 balance before the account becomes eligible againYes - 50% down exceptions approved by SupervisorsNoneNOMeter TamperingPrevious PA BrokenDisconnection for Non-PaymentField Activity Scheduled for Non-PaymentReturned Payment on AccountLow IncomeRegular ResidentialCritically IllElderlyHouseholds w/ young childrenLow IncomeRegular ResidentialCritically IllElderlyHouseholds w/ young children24 months regular residential$48 maximum for discount participants (any length of term possible)3 Payment Arrangements4th Payment Arrangement for any customer identifying a "Bona Fide" Reason *NONoneNot DeterminedNot DeterminedGeneralAll ResidentialUp to 24 months, if needed (CSR)Up to 36 months (Supervisors)TBD (Customer Assistance TeamUnlimited-as long as the account is brought to 0 balance before the account becomes eligible again. Those with broken arrangements can have 3 Payment Arrangements/4th with "Bona Fide" Reason*Yes -Down payment equal to first month installmentNoneNo application of deposit to PAMeter TamperingDisconnection for Non-Payment (after PA allotment)Field Activity Scheduled for Non-Payment ((after PA allotment)Returned Payment on Account (NSF)Low IncomeCritically IllElderlyHouseholds w/ young childrenCAP CustomersAs defined by a monthly payment not to exceed 5% of U.S. Dept of HHS monthly poverty guideline for single person householdUnlimited-as long as the account is brought to 0 balance before the account becomes eligible again. Those with broken arrangements can have 3 Payment Arrangements/4th with "Bona Fide" Reason*NONoneNo application of deposit to PAMeter TamperingDisconnection for Non-Payment (after PA allotment)Field Activity Scheduled for Non-Payment ((after PA allotment)Returned Payment on Account (NSF)*Bona Fide Reasons= serious illness or injury by account holder or household member; loss of employment; economic loss due to natural disaster; domestic violence against the customer; a commitment by an independent program to assist customer with paymentThe PURPOSE of a Payment Arrangement (PA) is a short term payment option for households that are having a temporary crisis; PAs provide several months to pay off overdue utility bills in equal installments. Austin Energy Regular PolicyCouncil Mandated Current PolicyAdvocacy Group RecommendsAdvocacy Group Recommends
Arrearage ProgramsMassachusettsConnecticut - United IlluminatingArizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire and Texas - Liberty UtilitiesPortland General Electric Company (New Start Pilot)AmerenUE-Clean Slate (Missouri)Be a residential utility customerBe a residential utility customerCustomer of record for the accountBe a residential utility customerUE customerBe eligible for Fuel Assistance or low-income discount rateBe eligible for Winter Moratorium (a.k.a. hardship) programBe eligible for LIHEAP programPriority to low-income elderly and low-income disabled customersOwe at least $100 in overdue billsOwe at least $500 with minimum 90 days delinquent$300+ in arrearsOwe at least $100 in overdue bills$3 million budgetAgree to a payment plan and to make payments on timeCustomer must make a minimum payment of 20% of the past due balanceAgree to take part in budget counseling and energy efficiency programs12 month program 60+ days overdueAgree to a payment plan and make payments on timeAgree to participate in the Discount RateMake minimum or initial paymentNot a landlord account (where tenants pay utilities to landlord)CEAP eligibleNot be shut off for nonpaymentSet up an affordable payment planEnter into monthly payment plan that includes: 1) current bill amount and 2) future projected bills for the term of payment planPlaced on 24-month levelized payment agreementActive UE customers pay 10% of the delinquent amount and the remaining amount will be covered by a Clean Slate pledgeAgree not to shut off services for non-payment if you follow the payment plan Attends one Energy Awareness ClassInactive UE customers pay 20% of their arrearage, Clean Slate pledge will cover the remaining balance.Give you credits against your overdue balance when you make payments on time or meet other program requirementsPay the monthly amount agreed to - if so, receive a $100 monthly "credit" towards past due balance - cap of $1,200/yr/per participantParticipant makes 12 consecutive monthly payments on time and in full, company waives 50% of the arrearage Forgive part of your debt when you enroll in the programFailure to pay the monthly amount agreed to will result in termination of the PA. Any remaining AMP benefit will be forfeited. The AMP payment plan may be reinstated if all missed payments along with the current payments are made.Offer you budget counseling so you will not get behind in payments againDo a home energy audit and recommend energy efficiency programs to help you save money on home energy expensesApplyMust apply to take partMust apply to take partMust apply through Contact Center at 800-544-4944.Must apply …
Discount Steering Committee Meeting Minutes February 24, 2014 In attendance: Michelle Akers (HACA) Kathleen Hopkins (Any Baby Can) Pat Macy (St. Austin Catholic Church) Tondalier Owens (Travis County HHS & VS) Linda Perez (Meals on Wheels & More) Angel Ramirez (Texas VFW Foundation) Ronnie Mendoza (AE) Sandra Castillo (AE) Melissa Davis (AE) Jessica Twining (AE) Irene Nemitsas (AE) Review of meeting minutes – February 15th, 2014 Approved as is. Discount Program Qualifier Numbers/Percentages • Mass Mailing o Austin Energy recently conducted mass letter mailing to 120,000 MAP recipients in targeted zipcodes, promoting open spots in Discount Program for MAP beneficiaries o Mailed about 2 weeks ago o Solix has noticed increase in volume of calls for applications – hopefully will help fill some of those open MAP spots o Linda from MoW requested a copy of the letter to be distributed to DSC so they can give to their clients • Community Benefit Charge Fund Forecasting o Current 33,000 spots will still not utilize funding overage from FY2013 o As such, spots have increased to 45,000 o Initiated Friday, 2/21 o Pending 11,000 enrollment into program o Even though understood that this number will have to be reduced back to 25,000 (though there will be some carryover into FY15) o Will just not re-enroll customers when their enrollment expires o But hoping City Council will see the need for the program and provide additional funding to keep at/close to 45,000 • Re-Evaluation of Current Formula o Currently 4,000-5,000 MAP openings – how do we equitably use these? o Is it ok to absorb into other programs? Committee agreed yes. o Using formula already created, if a program is not utilizing all allocated spots, after a period of 4 months (after beginning of fiscal year), use formula to disperse between top-three demanded programs. Then with new fiscal year, go back to original allocation o Right now top three programs are Medicaid, CHIP and SNAP Weatherization • Reporting o Ronnie reviewed current numbers of CAP weatherization program o Goal is to weatherize 200 homes during FY14 (this includes carryover funds from FY2013 plus FY14 funding) o Numbers include: Eligible customers (includes two priority 1 lists and one priority 2 list pulled since October 2013) = 967 Completed home visits = 123 Customers completing education class = 73 Customers pending education class = 20 Completed audits = 60 …
Discount Steering Committee Working Session Minutes March 5, 2014 In attendance: Michelle Akers (HACA) Gloria Cueva (Caritas of Austin) Kathleen Hopkins (Any Baby Can) Pat Macy (St. Austin Catholic Church) Tondalier Owens (Travis County HHS & VS) Linda Perez (Meals on Wheels & More) Angel Ramirez (Texas VFW Foundation) Ronnie Mendoza (AE) Sandra Castillo (AE) Irene Nemitsas (AE) Sample Section of AE Customers - Chart o AE pulled a representative sample of its customer base – approximately 100,000 accounts, split out between CAP and non-CAP o Included active and inactive accounts o Provided so DSC can get an idea of the number of customers in debt and the amount/level of debt, starting from $250 up to $3,000+ o Also pulled so AE can estimate the possible budget needed to fund the arrearage program o Showed a large gap between those in debt who are CAP (smaller percentage) versus non-CAP (much larger percentage) Debt over $3,000 – Reference Chart o Smaller sample size presented above didn’t fully represent those with $3,000+ in debt o Second chart provided (for reference only) that showed customers $3,000+ in debt Stratified by dates – starting when collections process was re-instated (July 2013) to present Non-disconnect period (July 2011-July 2013) definitely contributed towards these larger debts Collections was enacted in phases – starting with the larger outstanding balances ($10,000+) and working down from there o Payment arrangements don’t work for these large amounts Research shows that 78% of these arrangements are broken Only after utilities disconnect for non-pay do customers begin to pay towards their debts AE Executive Expectations o What are collection expectations of AE executives for the arrearage management program? (AMP) o 100% debt collection because AE cannot forgive debt o What this program will offer though, is pledge “matches” or “credits” applied towards account, an incentive program that works with the customer to pay down their debt Case Studies Showing Success? o AE will be one of the first for a public utility o Difficult to find similar scenarios- most utilities are de-regulated and can write off the debt as an expense Then they recoup expense the following year by raising rates AE cannot do that 2015 AMP Budgeting o Already proposed by AE - Ronnie had to forecast as he needed to ensure once the program is created that there is sufficient funding for it …
Discount Steering Committee Meeting Monday, March 24, 2014 Meeting Notes Attendees: Pat Macy St Austin Catholic Church Michelle Akers HACA Linda Perez Meals on Wheels and More Kathleen Hopkins Any Baby Can Tonda Owens Travis County Gloria Cuevas Caritas Ronnie Mendoza AE Sandra Castillo AE Lori Kirchgatter AE Jessica Twining AE Melissa Davis AE Irene Nemitsas AE I. Welcome II. Minutes Review Reviewed minutes from 3-5-14 meeting Focus of last meeting was designing arrearage program (matrix) and decision points Clarification was given regarding referral for regular residential customers – regular residential customers will be referred to arrearage program via an agency they are working with, not referred to an agency (by AE) in order to get a referral to arrearage program Ronnie explained that he has to send a monthly DSC report to Council Minutes approved III. DSC Decision Points Handout outlines everything the DSC has decided on over the last two years A suggestion was made to add “why” statements to the decision points and their relation to which AE program o For example: How the DSC came up with $8,700 balance maximum for weatherization program participants – and then reduced the maximum to $5,700 IV. Weatherization Program Structure Narrative Outlines CAP Weatherization process from start to finish Can we specify a timeframe for each piece of the process? o Ronnie suggested adding the CAP Weatherization Program timeline (already created) to accompany the narrative V. Weatherization Follow-Up Updated numbers for customers participating in CAP + Education program (excludes CAP control group numbers) For future updates on numbers, AE will provide DSC members with info on why and at what point customers are falling out of the program o Customer didn’t complete education class within allotted timeframe; landlord didn’t sign agreement form, etc. CAP team met with CES - Customer Energy Solutions (formerly Energy Efficiency Services) and contractors two weeks ago o CAP homes need to be #1 priority o Budgeting error by CES caused delay in CAP work orders going out for bidding process – increased spending authority needed – hoping to be remedied next week Impact to CAP Weatherization customers reflected in updated numbers handout: “Audit Completed & Not Out for Bid” Lori discussed incentives for CAP Weatherization customers to encourage response to follow-up surveys (18-month period) – asked for DSC feedback o CAP team suggested items such as CFL’s, air filters, and possibly $25 pledge, want …
City of Austin UtilitiesArrearage Program DesignDiscount Participants60% Median Family Income (MFI)EligibilityEnrolled or waitlisted on the discount programIncome at or below 60% of the area median income verified by an agency with support services structureBenefitsImmediate incentive towards debt (match/credits begin month 1 of program) will be able to tap into AE resources (education class, weatherization, etc.)Immediate incentive towards debt (match/credits begin month 1 of program) will be able to tap into agency resources (case management)How to ApplyAlready in placeReferred by partner agency with support services structueAuto vs. Self EnrollmentSelf-enrollment with heavy promotion/marketing Auto-enrollment through partner agency with support services structueLength of ProgramDetermined by amount of debt; $1,750-$3,000 = 12 months $3,001-$6,000 = 24 months $6,001+ = 36 monthsDetermined by amount of debt; $1,750-$3,000 = 12 months $3,001-$6,000 = 24 months $6,001+ = 36 monthsDown payment RequirementNot requiredNot requiredMatch vs. Graduated PaymentsGraduated payments, with AE always paying more than customer Graduated payments, with AE always paying more than customer Payment Amount %20%/80%, 30%/70%, 40%/60%20%/80%, 30%/70%, 40%/60%Removal from Program2 strikes rule 30 day no contact = strike Default payment = strike NSF = strike2 strikes rule 30 day no contact = strike Default payment = strike NSF = strikeAdministrationAustin EnergyAgency with support services structure City of Austin UtilitiesArrearage Program DesignEligibilityBenefitsHow to ApplyAuto vs. Self EnrollmentLength of ProgramDown payment RequirementMatch vs. Graduated PaymentsPayment Amount %Removal from ProgramAdministrationRegular ResidentialReferred to AE by agency that does not have support services structureImmediate incentive towards debt, will be able to tap into AE resources (education class, weatherization, etc.)Referred by partner agency that does not have a support services structureAuto-enrollment through partner agency that does not have a support services structureDetermined by amount of debt; $1,750-$3,000 = 12 months $3,001-$6,000 = 24 months $6,001+ = 36 monthsNot requiredMatched payments50%/50%2 strikes rule 30 day no contact = strike Default payment = strike NSF = strikeAgency without support services structure
Income Limit1 Person 2 Persons3 Persons4 Persons5 Persons6 Persons7 Persons8 Persons20%10,25011,70013,20014,64015,80017,00018,15019,350* 30%15,40017,60019,80021,95023,75025,50027,25029,00040%20,50023,40026,35029,28031,60033,95036,30038,650* 50%25,65029,30032,95036,60039,55042,50045,40048,35060%30,78035,16039,54043,92047,46051,00054,48058,02070%35,85041,00046,10051,24055,35059,45063,55067,650* 80%41,00046,85052,70058,55063,25067,95072,65077,300100%51,25058,55065,90073,20079,05084,90090,75096,600120%61,50070,25079,05087,84094,900101,900108,900115,950140%71,75082,00092,250102,480110,700118,900127,100135,250* Income provided by HUD.** Income calculated by NHCD based on the formula used by HUD.HUD rounds to the nearest $50 dollarsMFI Chart was expanded to include other percentages used by NHCD.Effective June 1,2013Efficiency1 BR2 BR3 BR4 BR5 BR$398$426$512$591$660$728$532$570$684$789$881$972$643$712$855$986$1,101$1,215$643$788$992$1,249$1,374$1,497$643 $788 $992 $1,343 $1,627 $1,871 $665$712$855$986$1,101$1,215$844$906$1,089$1,249$1,374$1,497* FAIR MARKET RENT* 50% Rent Limit* 65% Rent Limit2013 HUD Income and Rent Limits Austin-Round Rock -San Marcos, TX MSAIncome Limits - Effective date 3/15/13HOME Program Income LimitsHOME Program Rent Limits* LOW HOME Rent Limit30% Rent Limit40% Rent LimitFor Information Only (Below)* Provided by HUD* HIGH HOME Rent LimitRent Limits - Effective date 6/1/13
Sample Cross-SectionNon-CAPCAPTotal$250 or less83,2052,30785,512$250.01 to $500.008,8423739,215$500.01 to $1000.005,7052966,001$1000.01 to $2000.003,0102353,245$2000.01 to $3000.001,6681351,803$3000.01 or more**000Total102,4303,346105,776Account DebtNon-CAP*CAPTotalCAP% of Total By Debt Range$250 or less923,32520,098943,4232.1%$250.01 to $500.0096,2313,10299,3333.1%$500.01 to $1000.0055,4232,47257,8954.3%$1000.01 to $2000.0023,3431,76525,1087.0%$2000.01 to $3000.0015,6361,16316,7996.9%$3000.01 or more**0000.0%Total1,113,95828,6001,142,5582.5%Actual Total1,079,17228,6001,107,7722.6%Sample Cross-SectionTotal Accounts*Numbers are estimated based upon "Sample Cross-Section" Data Table and "Total Accounts" - **Total number of accounts w/ $3000.01+ Debt is less than 0.5% of Total Accounts. No CAP Account meets this criteria.
Arrearage Program Eligibility Requirements The arrearage program will offer support to three separate groups of recipients. Group 1 will contain all those customers currently enrolled or on the waitlist for the Customer Assistance Discount Program. Group 2 will contain those customers, who are not enrolled or on the waitlist for the Customer Assistance Discount Program and who are at sixty percent of the Median Family Income ($47,460 for a family of 4). The customer base for this group includes low to fixed income populations who need greater financial support and are working with an agency with a support service structure. Group 3 will include all other customers who are not currently enrolled or on the waitlist for the Customer Assistance Discount Program and customer’s exceeding 60% of the MFI (Median Family Income). These customers must be referred to the arrearage program by a local agency that does not have a support service structure. This group of customers is likely employed/bringing in an income, and we would be able to provide additional support by contributing to their payment arrangement installment. In addition, regular residential customers’ balances are likely not as high as customers in group 1. Benefits All customers will immediately receive incentives towards their debt where a payment match or credit will apply to the customer’s account after the first month of the program: this is to ensure that customers’ debt/balances begin to decrease as soon as possible and maintains customer engagement. Customers from group 1, customers enrolled or waitlisted on the Discount Program, will be able to access Austin Energy resources to leverage other current programs to provide more comprehensive help. The 60% MFI group (Group 2) will be able to tap into agency resources, such as case management. Customers from group 3 will be able to access Austin Energy resources as they are being referred by an agency that does not have a support service structure. How to apply and Auto v. Self Enrollment Customers currently enrolled or waitlisted in the Discount program will automatically be enrolled into the arrearage program. This population of customers owns a greater portion of the current debt which requires immediate attention: auto-enrollment will streamline the process. Customers within the 60 percent MFI group will apply through a partnering agency with support service structures to provide case management services. Customers within the regular residential group will apply through an agency without support service …
