City Council Meeting 10.31.23

Rev. Person: Good afternoon my name is Rev. Clifford Person of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church.

Rev. Butterfield: And my name is Rev. Will Butterfield of The Gathering Place West Church. We are with Central Louisiana Interfaith, representing 16 congregations and community organizations in the Alexandria/Pineville area. If you are a member of Cenla Interfaith, would you please stand for recognition?

Rev. Person: Over the course of the past five months, we have heard from our congregants and community members about the impact of high utility bills and cutoffs in the City of Alexandria. We have heard stories from people on a weekly basis having to choose between groceries and electricity. People who have been cut off and evicted from their homes. Elderly folks on oxygen who are afraid that their power will be cut off. Our friends at the Alexandria Housing Authority have informed us that they have to turn away half of their applicants (about 50 families) every month due to outstanding utility bills. This issue runs deep.

Rev. Butterfield: We seek this evening to alleviate these burdens for the folks in our community who can least afford to bear them. In preparation for today, I thought of one of Jesus’ parables that speaks to this issue, and I’m sure it’s one you are familiar with. Jesus tells a story of a man that has been beaten and robbed. Three men pass by, see the man, but only one stops to help. He bandages his wounds and then takes him to a nearby inn to be further cared for.

Luke 10:36-37 (CSB):

36 “Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?”

37 “The one who showed mercy to him,” he said.

Then Jesus told him, “Go and do the same.”

Cenla Interfaith is a collection of people and organizations with different beliefs and cultures, but what we hold in common is a love for the people of Cenla. The people and organizations that are represented here tonight have done what the Samaritan did in this parable. We have helped with the short term by assisting our congregants and neighbors as often as possible. What we seek tonight is what the Samaritan did second. He looked beyond the immediate need and made arrangements to take care of the long term needs of the injured man.

Rev. Person: We are here tonight asking the Council to work with us to this end. The beginning of that process will be gathering the information that will allow us to do just that. Without all the information, no one is able to understand, diagnose, or make an adequate plan for relief.

How many people in the City of Alexandria have been cut off, per month, in 2023 so far?

How many people are currently without service?

What is the total outstanding dollar amount due to the City of Alexandria Utility, including Restor Installment plans?

What is the total number of dollars allocated for the Project Restor Program, and how much of that was distributed in Restor Grants to customers?

Our proposal to Council is to direct whomever needs to be directed to acquire this information and make it available to the public before next Council meeting in two weeks so that together, we can take action to alleviate the utility burdens that our people are facing. Thank you for your time.