Jeongeup-si Shares COVID-19 Burden with 50% Reduction in Water and Sewage Fees

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Jae-gil] Jeongeup City, Jeonbuk Province announced on the 2nd that it will uniformly reduce water and sewage charges to alleviate the economic burden on citizens due to the spread of COVID-19.

Recently, as COVID-19 has prolonged and confirmed cases have increased again in some areas such as the metropolitan area, small business owners are experiencing a sharp decline in sales due to economic recession and reduced consumption.

In addition, due to the postponement of school openings, sales of agricultural and livestock products related to public meals have decreased and prices have fallen, raising concerns about damage to related farms, and general households are also facing increased economic burdens due to purchases of masks, etc.

Accordingly, the city will implement a measure to reduce water and sewage charges by 50% for all citizens to minimize economic burdens.

The reduction period applies to bills issued from this month to August and targets citizens and local businesses struggling due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation.

Except for public institutions, financial institutions, and schools, all water users will benefit, and about 43,000 water users will receive the reduction without a separate application.

The estimated reduction amount is about 1.3 billion KRW over three months, including 600 million KRW monthly for household use, 400 million KRW for general and bathhouse use, and 300 million KRW for industrial use.

Previously, the city established the legal basis for reducing water and sewage charges through partial amendments to the Water Supply Ordinance and Sewage Use Ordinance.

The main content added a regulation allowing a 50% reduction in usage fees for up to three months for all water users except public institutions, financial institutions, and schools when a crisis alert is issued under the Disaster and Safety Management Basic Act and fee reduction is necessary.

Mayor Yoo Jin-seop said, “We are promoting fee reductions to reduce the economic burden on Jeongeup citizens and self-employed people caused by COVID-19,” and added, “We hope to share the burden and overcome the current economic crisis together.”