800K helps pay outstanding utility bills in Southwest Michigan city

BATTLE CREEK, MI – More than 3,000 people with outstanding utility bills have had their bill partially covered by the city of Battle Creek. The city used $800,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act Utility Payoff Program to make payments on the accounts of 3,243 people with outstanding utility bills, the city said in a news release. Payments were applied to upcoming bills for people with past due amounts from bills between March 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021. The city used geographic and account balance information to figure out who qualified. The money came from ARPA, the law signed…