Face to Face

For some of our electric utility customers, including seniors on fixed incomes, energy expenses can be a financial burden. In fact, there are those in our community who cannot afford the cost of energy to meet their basic needs.
For those who cannot afford such an expense, this can lead to difficult decisions about how to allocate their limited resources. The City Utility has an Energy Assistance Program that is designed to help income-qualifying households cover their energy costs and reduce the financial burden that they face.
We regularly encourage people to establish their income eligibility through the federally funded Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP). If approved for WHEAP, people may receive energy assistance through our program.
Our Energy Assistance Program is funded with the portion of Public Benefits dollars specifically set aside for income-qualifying individuals and families.
We also have an emergency fund where people may qualify for assistance. Historically this fund has handle people who were chronically unemployable for some reason and failed to apply to Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) for some reason. From the time the program started until 2009, the same people usually applied for the benefits. Starting in 2010, the applicants have changed.
The changing economy has put people who have never been in the social support system before into a situation where they need the support and they don’t know where to start. They have always been employable and had a short term system of support in case of health or employment issues.
Reviewing and awarding these grants has become a heart rending experience which everyone who wants to determine who does or does not get social assistance should experience.