Despite our current reemergence there are some truths that we need to face as a community. The first being that this pandemic is not going anywhere. This public health crisis is far from over and it will continue to evolve over time. Based on some news coming out of Alleghany County this morning it is very likely that every community will see periods of reemergence followed by necessary steps to mitigate spread due to COVID-19 outbreaks. As a community we will need to manage that ebb and flow as best we can.
The second, and arguably the more difficult one, is managing the financial impact this pandemic has, and will continue to have, on our friends, family, and neighbors. As this will be a prolonged and protracted financial challenge for residents it is time for us to think outside the box about how our local government can help alleviate some of that pressure.
During the red and yellow phases of this pandemic, scores of residents were not working and their incomes were severely slashed due to that. Obviously, this directly impacted people’s ability to pay bills, buy groceries, and live an otherwise normal life. If you speak with some of the food pantries in the area about the challenges they have faced you realize that the volume of new people coming through their doors has spiked dramatically and is directly related to the pandemic. In response to this reality, the borough is not charging fees on any unpaid electric or sewers bills. Additionally, services will not be cut off due to non-payment throughout the emergency declaration. However, those bills are still due and will need to be paid at some point by residents.
When the emergency declaration is lifted, and hopefully we are all back to work, residents that have been deferring payment will have a backlog of sewer and electric bills that they will be expected to pay. Payments they may still not be able to afford because they are backlogged on many other bills, only now they are accruing late fees on top of what they owe. When the average American household has only $8,800 in savings, we can all appreciate the significant financial burden that comes with being out of work for, at this point, several months.
My point is that we need to find a more direct path to helping people survive an otherwise unpredictable and uncontrollable public health crisis. Most people who are not paying bills right now are not doing so because they do not believe they should have to; they are making this difficult choice because they need to afford more critical items like groceries and rent. It is true that some in our community are honestly struggling and that struggle is directly related to the pandemic (which they have no control over). The question is not do we help, but how do we help manage this challenge?
Ideally, any aide program is tightly scoped and tied to the emergency event itself as funds are not unlimited and we are only looking to help mitigate the damage from an uncontrollable event rather than normal everyday life. Additionally, any response would need to focus on financial burdens the borough has direct control over (electric, sewer, taxes, etc.). Finally, there would need to be proof points to receive aide so that help is directed toward those who are actively struggling to manage this crisis.
There is much more to come on this topic as it has only just begun to be discussed, but it feels appropriate to open the conversation about the right way to help the community manage this financial crisis so that we are not putting people into lasting debt, especially if we have the means to avoid it in a scoped and limited fashion. This type of aid is not about giving something away, but rather in building the community back up by directly investing in our residents so that Lansdale can continue to prosper and grow.
See also:
Mayoral Musings: Welcome To Green Phase
Mayoral Musings: Reimagining The Lansdale Borough Police Department
Mayoral Musings: All Lives Can’t Matter Until Black Lives Matter
Mayoral Musings: Improving Lansdale Police Department Through Body Cameras
Mayoral Musings: Preparing For The Future In Front Of Us
