By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The city opened the application period Tuesday for Sitkans with financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic to apply for subsidies on their utility and moorage bills.
Applications will be accepted through 4 p.m. Friday, July 31.
City Controller Melissa Haley said applications have been coming in at a steady pace since Tuesday, although no count was available.
“We’re definitely getting quite a few applications in,” she said.
Haley said a few problems have been noticed, and issued a reminder that applicants need to “check all boxes to demonstrate eligibility.”
“We can’t give this money out to those who cannot certify they have faced and continue to face economic hardship due to COVID, per CARES Act guidelines,” she said.
Separate applications are needed for households and businesses, and the person certifying the application must be the person on the utility or moorage account, Haley said.
“People have been trying to apply for other people, and we’ve had some applications submitted without applicable boxes checked,” she said. Those applications have been rejected, and the applicants are being informed of the reasons and given a chance to make corrections. The Assembly has set aside $4.5 million from the city’s $14 million in federal CARES Act funds for the two financial assistance programs.
Ordinance co-sponsor Thor Christianson said today he was “thrilled” to see the application process has gone live.
“I really hope people take advantage of it,” he said. “The goal is to ease the burden right now, and it’s not very often we get to do something that affects everyone in town this way. ... Hopefully it will help.”
Applications for the Utility and Moorage Relief Programs are available online by going to www.cityofsitka.org and clicking a link at the top of the page.
Paper copies of the applications are available at City Hall, 100 Lincoln Street, or at the Harbor Office at Thomsen Harbor. Online applications are encouraged but they may also be submitted by email to caresact@cityofsitka.org
Up to $1,000 in utility credit is available for households, and up to $3,000 for businesses.
The program is available for residents who have been “here continuously since March 15.” Businesses must already have a utilities account with the city, and have been in business here “continuously since at least March 15, 2020.”
The Moorage Relief program offers up to three months of moorage costs for qualifying boat owners who have had a “moorage agreement continuously since at least March 15, 2020.”
Both the utility and moorage subsidy applications consist of one page with a few simple questions. Questions about the utility program can be directed to the Accounting Clerk at 747-1859; and to the harbor office, 747-3439, for the moorage program.