Ad
Water authority allows furloughed Albuquerque federal workers to defer bill payments
Published
Modified
Furloughed federal employees living in Albuquerque will get a break on their water bills as the government shutdown enters its third week.
The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority announced Tuesday it was deferring water bill payments for the temporarily laid-off employees without penalty.
The news comes days after the New Mexico Gas Co. and Public Service Company of New Mexico offered payment assistance to customers affected by the shutdown.
“We were obviously responding to the immediacy of the need,” said David Morris, water authority spokesperson.
After the National Nuclear Security Administration temporarily laid off 1,400 employees on Monday, he said, “We decided that we should join the other utilities in offering this relief.”
Klarissa Peña, Albuquerque city councilor and chair of the water authority’s governing board, said in a news release that the move was done to “ease the financial stress on federal employees affected by the shutdown.”
“It’s the right thing to do,” she said.
To qualify, the federal employees must present their furlough letter at the water authority’s customer service/payment center at 1441 Mission NE.
There will be no late fees or shutoffs for qualifying furloughed workers, who will be allowed to “catch up” on their payments when the shutdown ends, the release states.
For more information, furloughed federal employees can call 505-842-9287 and press “0” to speak to a customer service representative.
