Title
WRAP Program Update
Body
Agenda of: September 22, 2021
Item No.: 2021-343
Amount: N/A
TO: The Honorable
Board of Directors
Great Lakes Water Authority
FROM: Suzanne R. Coffey, P.E.
Interim Chief Executive Officer
Great Lakes Water Authority
DATE: September 22, 2021
RE: WRAP Program Update
MOTION
Upon recommendation of Nicolette Bateson, Chief Financial Officer/Treasurer, the Board of Directors (Board) of the Great Lakes Water Authority (GLWA), approve WRAP Program conservation changes effective October 1, 2021 as outlined in the "WRAP Conservation Program Changes" document; and authorizes the Interim Chief Executive Officer to take such other action as may be necessary to accomplish the intent of this vote.
BACKGROUND
The Water Residential Assistance Program ("WRAP") provides sustainable funding for qualifying low-income residents served by the Great Lakes Water Authority's ("GLWA") member partners. The program is funded by GLWA at an amount equal to 0.5 percent of budgeted revenues for the Regional System and not less than 0.5 percent, but not greater than 1.0 percent of budgeted revenues for the DWSD Local System. The budgeted WRAP funding for FY 2022 is $6.2 million combined for water and sewer services.
The WRAP funding is used for a) payment assistance, b) water audit and water conservation assistance and c) program administration. By way of administrative policy, presently 80% of the assistance funding is allocated to payment assistance and 20% is allocated to conservation.
In March 2020, GLWA engaged Public Sector Consultants (PSC) to evaluate WRAP through a series of one-on-one meetings and focus groups with various GLWA and WRAP stakeholders. For FY2022, the following objectives have been identified for the program:
* Codify decentralized program delivery model to expand direct assistance by community action agencies in Macomb and Oakland counties
* Provide flexibility for the community action ag...
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