City leaders offer $700 credit to help MLGW customers pay bills

Memphians facing utility cutoff notices may qualify for up to a $700 credit on their MLGW utility bills.

Everyone will not qualify for this utility assistance program.

To qualify you have to live in Memphis, have a cutoff notice, and your bill must be in your name or your spouse’s name.

You also have to show proof of a hardship which includes job loss, 100% medically disabled, hospitalized, and proof of spouse on active duty

Your household income does not exceed 130% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines; For example, a family of three brings in less than $32,000 annually.

Click here to learn more.

Last year, MLGW CEO Doug McGowen said the company collected around $15 million in late fees.

Those fees depend on the bill. Late fees made up less than 1% of MLGW’s budget.

McGowen says if they got rid of late fees your bills could go up around $4.

There is another program called the Plus One program through the Memphis Inter-Faith Association or MIFA.

This program has similar qualifications mentioned above, but it has limited funding and can only assist about 140 customers a year.