Bayfield seniors say they are worried about a change in the town’s utility assistance program that ended a senior discount rate that has been in place for 31 years.

The town of Bayfield used to offer utility customers 55 and older a senior discount for water, sewer, garbage and recycling services. In December, the seven town trustees voted unanimously to eliminate the rate in favor of a new income-based utility relief program.

For Jayne Collins, 61, the change was confusing and “unacceptable.”

“First of all, you don’t put seniors on a fixed income, and basically living alone, on the same rate as a family of four,” Collins said. “The fact that it came up at all for negotiation ... who’s behind that? Whose idea was it? Who voted on it? Nobody knew this was happening until the program was abolished.”

Collins said her discounted rate used to be $61.18 each month with the senior discount. When the program was eliminated, her rate for water, sewer, garbage and recycling services jumped to $108.85, a 78% increase.

In total, 32 senior residents were using the senior discount, according to staff members during the December meeting. The Bayfield Code of Ordinances said it came from policies adopted in 1990 and 2007.

The utility assistance program asked people for proof of age and identity, but it did not include an income assessment process, said Katie Sickles, Bayfield town manager. The town was not monitoring household income and did not have a way to do so.

Beginning in January 2021, Bayfield utility customers could still receive utility assistance by applying to the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, which includes an income eligibility screening process.

If customers qualified for LEAP, they would also qualify for Bayfield’s utility relief program. People with up to 60% of the state median income can qualify for LEAP, according to town staff members.

Under the new program, the town can give discounts of up to 25% to the customer’s base utility fee for the remaining billing cycles in 2021. As an alternative, the town also offers a one-time utility credit of $100 or less for eligible customers.

Customers of any age can apply for the new program. If they need help, they can contact Beth Lamberson, economic and community engagement coordinator.

The town wanted to make the change before the 2021 budget year began, Sickles said. The January bill arrived in February, so customers would not have to pay their adjusted bills until late February, she said.

“We changed the senior rate to do income assessments that we did not have in the past,” Sickles said.

At the time, Bayfield also gave Pine River Shares, a local nonprofit, a $3,000 grant to offer utility relief to residents in need, Sickles said.

The board, she said, also has the ability to change rates at any point. The town is conducting a rate study to ensure charges are accurate.

The town sent a letter notifying customers, including Collins, of the change Dec. 9, according to town records. But Collins said she never received the letter, nor did her 83-year-old neighbor who was on the senior discount rate.

Collins said she paid her bill at the previous rate, without knowing it increased, for months and accidentally racked up $295 in overdue fees.

She submitted a 2019-20 LEAP application but had not received an updated bill as of Tuesday. The town also said it would not offer retroactive assistance for the overdue fees, she said.

A group was getting together to discuss the issue, Collins said.

“For senior programs, you don’t treat them like people are in their 30s and they understand they’ve been warned by a computer,” she said. “It’s like they’re being railroaded, and they don’t even know it. ... It’s not fair, it’s not right and it’s disrespectful.”

Some of the town’s grant to Pine River Shares is still available for utility assistance, town staff members said.

“If an account holder didn’t read the letter from the first of the year and is still working to get a senior discount, I recommend they apply to Pine River Shares for immediate partial bill relief,” Lamberson said. “If they have a LEAP authorization letter for 2020-21, we can apply discounts moving forward, but not in arrears.”

smullane@durangoherald.com