The City of St. Charles will hold off on disconnecting utilities through the end of the year in response to the federal government shutdown.
The government is currently in the longest shutdown in American history. And President Donald Trump’s administration has challenged in court efforts to distribute full SNAP benefits, prompting some municipal governments to fill in gaps.
During a press call organized by the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative on Monday, St. Charles Director of Administration Larry Dobrosky said his city won’t disconnect water or sewer services through the end of the year.
“So, for all residents, no matter what the status is, there will be no disconnects for November and December, and there'll be no late payments assessed for that,” he said.
Dobrosky also said that St. Charles employees and city government are trying to raise money for residents who have been affected by the shutdown.
“We're hoping to generate $125,000 over the next two weeks that we’ll give to some of the agencies, again, for rents, for utilities, for food,” Dobrosky said.
Municipal officials on the press call said that even if Trump signed a measure reopening the government this week, it could take time for SNAP benefits to get to constituents.
