Emporia suspends utility disconnections amid SNAP funding lapse

EMPORIA (KSNT) - The City of Emporia Utility Billing Department is making temporary changes to utility accounts in response to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding lapse.

Emporia will suspend disconnection fees and water shut-offs for individual utility accounts, according to a Nov. 5 press release. The city said that any shut-offs that happened on Nov. 4 will be reconnected.

“We understand that many households are experiencing financial uncertainty, and we want to ease that burden where we can,” said Emporia City Manager Trey Cocking. “Temporarily suspending disconnect fees and service disconnections is one small way we can help.”

The assistance won't apply to commercial or business accounts, according to the city. The policy will remain in place until the federal government shutdown has ended and SNAP funding is restored. Once those are resumed, the billing department will notify customers before restarting the disconnect fees and disconnection procedures.

For more information, you can call the utility department at 620-343-4244 or email utilities@emporiaks.gov.

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