Posted on 07/21/2014 2:29:53 PM PDT by PoloSec
Last week, a bankruptcy judge ordered the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to come up with answers for helping residents pay their overdue water bills, in light of the thousands of shut-off notices the agency has issued across the city. While the water authority must present its alternatives in court today, two resourceful women have already come up with one solution.
Turn on Detroit's Water is a website that matches donors with Detroiters who are struggling to pay their water bills. The site invites residents with overdue bills to submit their information. From there, the site—which is the work of Tiffani Ashley Bell and Kristy Tillman—matches them with donors willing to assume their obligation.
Here's how it works: Detroit account holders who owe $250 or less to DWSD can enter their information through a simple form-based site. Required info includes address, account number, past due and current charges, and account balance. The information is then verified through the Detroit Water and Sewage Department website.
Would-be donors simply submit an email address. Once a donor is matched with an account holder, the donor then receives all the account information required to pay the overdue bill. The donor can't see the Detroit account holder's name, though, unless the account holder asks to reveal it.
As Bell recounts, the project was sparked in a discussion over Twitter.
Bell and Tillman's site indicates that only individual residents are eligible to participate—so a donor won't be asked to pay on one of the city's many delinquent corporate accounts. Some 4,400 homes remained without water in late June, according to reports. The department announced today that it was suspending shut-offs for the next 15 days to give delinquent account holders time to seek help.
Tillman says by email that they began looking for residents in need on Friday and that they had identified several by this morning. Word of mouth has spread faster among donors. "We've got over 100 donors from allover the place who are getting matched up with people in Detroit right now thanks to sharing their email addresses with us," she says.
Representatives at DWSD didn't respond right away about whether they will direct delinquent customers to seek help on Tillman and Bell's website.
You know what, they don’t need all that water, we waste too much of it anyway. But hey, let these good Democommie voters know that we recently installed a spiffy new toilet that SURELY is helping to save the environment their Plantation Masters love to gripe about. Every time I flush, I’ll recite “and God bless everyone in Detroit.”
Here you go libs! Here’s your chance to step right up and pay a Detroiter’s water bill since you think everyone has a right to water!
Hehehe, yes you’re right. Let us know how your liberal friends like the idea of paying other people’s water bills.
I live in Michigan . . . watching for a mysterious new surcharge to appear on my bill with a fancy sounding name (which will no doubt be used to pay the bills for deadbeats).
>>>My water bill’s fine but I could use a little help with the bar tab.<<<
Well, it IS a waterin’ hole, is it not?
If I want to pay someone’s water bill, I’ll do it for a neighbor.
I am deeply concerned about these people, just as I was concerned for those poor people standing around the convention center after Katrina.
I for one intend to put my credit card into that website to help some of those unfortunate people of Detroit.
Then everybody can go to his house to s***.
I’m sure when they know about it they will gladly donate. That is, unless they’re hypocrites.
They're not hypocrites, they just believe government should be the only form of charity allowed.
A great opportunity for all the “compassion” finger-pointers to put their money where their mouths are. Glen Beck, now’s your chance.
I’m sure all Oprah can drop a few million in there.
Hey, Detroit, I got your water bill right here...
Just send the bills to NBC and See-BS, they should gladly pay.
To quote a famous American. “That will be the day.”
Six years after 2008 and the whole world is running out of our dimes. If productive Americans went on a General Strike Nationwide the parasites would come completely unglued in week.
They are right next to the Detroit River and the water table there is high. Why don’t they just dig a well and get all the free water they want?
Me too. And, btw my electric bill just arrived and it’s due August 1.
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