Lawrenceville approves policy to round up utility bill to assist needy

At Lawrenceville’s March 23 city council meeting held by teleconference, the city voted to implement a round up policy to allow the city to round up each utility bill to the nearest dollar. The extra revenue generated through the policy will be used to assist customers in need of financial assistance with their utility bills.

The city will contract with a non-profit to administer the program in conjunction with the city’s finance department. Once implemented, Lawrenceville will automatically enroll all city utility customers in the charitable round up program. Each customer’s monthly bill will be rounded up to the nearest dollar. The round up amount will be listed as a separate line item on each customer’s bill so it can be clearly identified as a donation. Customers can opt out of the program at any time.

City customers in need of bill paying assistance for their utilities will be directed to the non-profit for evaluation of eligibility.