Please take the time to read a message from our Mayor regarding Utility bills:

If you’re behind on your Sumner utility bill, please call us now to make payment arrangements and keep your service on. The State’s moratorium that has prevented utility shut-offs for over a year and a half expires on September 30. This could create a difficult situation arising for some of our customers; unfortunately, we can’t do anything about it unless those being affected call us first.

Here’s the situation in a nutshell. Through the pandemic, some of our accounts have fallen more and more behind. We mailed reminders every month. We offered CARES Act funding when we had it, and we’re currently encouraging renters to use assistance available through the County’s ARPA Funding. Unfortunately, few have taken us up on these offers. Legally, we can’t just apply these Federal dollars to delinquent accounts; the customer has to contact us first. (We asked.) Without shut-offs, utility service just hasn’t been top of mind for these households and businesses facing tough times, and I understand that. Unfortunately, I also understand that with the moratorium ending next week, the you-know-what is about to hit the fan, and I’m not referring to the water side of utilities.

The question we constantly get asked is, “Can’t you just forgive the amount?” No, we can’t. Legally, a utility is a fee for services used and once you use them, we have to charge you fairly. We’re not a corporation. There are no shareholders, and we’ve worked hard to reduce overhead so that our rates are as low as possible. If we were to “forgive” accounts (which again, is illegal to do), the payment has to come from the other ratepayers, putting a further burden on the rest of our customers.

What we can do is arrange a payment plan. That means the customer has to call us before shut-offs, and we’ll figure out a schedule to get them caught up. But they have to call before service is shut off. Once it is, a payment plan is no longer an option, and we have to have full payment to turn service back on. That’s why, if you’re in this situation, you need to call us now at 253-299-5546 . And if you’re embarrassed, please don’t be. These are tough times, and admitting you need assistance is the smart thing to do, not the last resort. Your information is completely confidential, and we’re here to make sure we can keep providing you with critical utilities. Believe me, the less accounts we have to shut off, the happier we all will be.

-Mayor Bill Pugh

Parents and Guardians, are you aware of the viral social media trend, Lick? Lick has been popular on Tik Tok, encouraging kids to record and post themselves stealing from the school. Trash cans, soap dispensers, school supplies etc. Apparently, the bigger the item, the better. Unfortunately, this trend has hit Sumner.

Please have a discussion with your students on why this trend is not ok. It’s not funny, it’s not cool. It’s illegal!