IID aiding federal workers affected by government shutdown

As the government shutdown continues, the Imperial Irrigation District is lending a hand to customers who are federal employees and have been affected.

The district is offering those impacted extra time to pay with an additional 30 days to defer payment of their electric bill for a total deferment of 60 days. If the shutdown continues, the district plans to continue reviewing more options.

“The IID Board directed staff to provide assistance to those customers who are federal employees and impacted by this unfortunate shutdown,” said Henry Martinez, IID general manager. “At this time we’re offering temporary suspension of each affected customer’s bills and we will continue to work with them as necessary to help them get through this difficult time.”

The current shutdown is affecting about 5,000 federal workers in the Imperial Valley, according to IID.

Any IID customer who can confirm that they have been furloughed or currently working their federally-funded job without pay can be granted a deferral. Customers should provide their furlough letter or federal employee identification, especially if they currently have an overdue electric bill.

Customers can visit any IID Customer Service Center during regular business hours (Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Fridays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding holidays) or call IID at 1-800-303-7756 or 1-760-335-3640.

IID’s Customer Service Centers are located at:

·Brawley: 135 South Plaza Street

·Calexico: 301 Imperial Avenue

·Imperial: 333 East Barioni Boulevard

·El Centro: 1285 Broadway

·La Quinta: 81-600 Avenue 58