LA PLATA — Charles County residents who are falling behind on their water and sewer bills will be able to apply for a $400 credit on their accounts starting Jan. 1, 2027.
The Charles County Commissioners on Oct. 20 approved a new Water and Sewer Assistance Program funded with $300,000 from the county’s general fund. Eligible residential customers can receive a one-time credit of $400 a year, applied directly to their water and sewer account. At $400 per household, the money would cover about 750 households a year if it is fully used.
The program arrives as utility costs keep climbing. Under the county’s fiscal 2027 water and sewer rates, residential customers pay $6.53 per 1,000 gallons of water in the first usage tier and $15.07 per 1,000 gallons for sewer, plus a $12.62 customer account charge. Two years earlier, the fiscal 2025 rates were $5.81 for water and $13.11 for sewer, so both per-gallon rates have risen by double digits since then.
For a household using 15,000 gallons in a quarter, the fiscal 2027 usage charges alone come to about $324, before the account charge and the state Bay Restoration Fee. A $400 credit would cover more than one quarter’s usage at that level.
A budget add that became a program
The money traces back to the fiscal 2027 budget process, when Commissioner Thomasina O. Coates proposed adding funds to the general fund for a water and sewer assistance program for residents facing financial hardship. The board approved the addition, and the budget set aside $300,000.
Jake Dyer, director of Fiscal and Administrative Services, told commissioners that staff then studied how neighboring utilities handle the problem. The St. Mary’s County Metropolitan Commission offers assistance similar to what Charles already provides, staff said. The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission goes further with a Water Fund paid for by donations from customers, employees and others and managed by the United Way of the National Capital Area, according to Water and Sewer Billing Manager Margaret Countess.
Until now, Charles has offered struggling customers one-time leak adjustments, payment plans and referrals to local charities. Dyer said calls and emails from customers who need help come in constantly.
Modeled on Rec Assist
Rather than build a new screening system, staff borrowed the eligibility rules from the county’s Rec Assist program, which gives eligible residents a $200 credit toward recreation programs, with a 20% copay, on a first-come, first-served basis until the money runs out. Dyer said the recreation staff told him that program typically awards its entire budget each year.
The difference, Dyer said, is that the water credit should give immediate relief, because it goes straight onto the customer’s account once an application is approved.
To qualify, a customer must:
- Have a current residential water and sewer account with Charles County Government and live at the property.
- Complete the county’s application and provide one of the listed documents, such as a utility bill.
- Show participation in a qualifying program, as Rec Assist requires, such as Temporary Cash Assistance, SNAP, Maryland Medicaid or a county housing program.
Staff said the county does not have the people to verify incomes and does not want to collect that information, so program participation stands in for an income test. Applicants are expected to have tried the county’s other options, such as payment plans, first.
Getting the word out
Commissioners pressed staff on how residents will hear about the credit. One suggested printing the information on the water bill itself. Staff said that is harder than it sounds: the bills are printed on pressure-sealed forms that are folded during printing, so there is no way to slip in a flyer and little room on the page.
Another commissioner suggested a QR code on water and tax bills that links to a county page staff could update. Dyer said the county would explore it with Information Technology, but noted the billing software is old and the county is working to replace it. In the meantime, the department plans to update the county website with program details and the application and work with the county’s media division on social media posts and a press release.
Commissioners voted to establish the program as presented, with the Jan. 1 launch date. Water has been a running issue across the county this month: a Charlotte Hall resident questioned the county’s reliance on WSSC water, and the town of La Plata has been wrestling with its own water capacity limits.
