Wilmington City Council voted to ban water service disconnections for people with disabilities, seniors and residents with children under five years old.
That passed 7-5 with one absent July 9 and depended on Carney’s signature to be written into law.
It won’t go into effect after Mayor John Carney vetoed the ordinance this week.
Carney’s Deputy Chief of Staff Daniel Walker said the ordinance would create an incentive for people to not pay their bills.
“That is not something we can push forward on,” Walker said. “And essentially, the other one is: Is this really a problem that needs to be solved with such a broad stroke? The City of Wilmington, we have about 4 thousand delinquent water accounts under our program. We rarely, in any given year, shut off water.”
Walker added water shutoffs are an absolute last resort, as the city offers many programs and a payment plan to pay delinquent bills. He said the city also gives six months notice for delinquency before shutting off water.
City Councilmember Coby Owens voted in favor of the ordinance and said he doesn’t find the city’s policies to be as generous as Walker claims they are.
“We've had people who've worked with people in the past to to help them,” Owens said. “But the city still has a long way to go to be more equitable to the residents, especially our more vulnerable communities.”
Now that it’s been vetoed, Owens said he’s not optimistic enough Councilmembers will vote to override Carney’s decision.
“I think it's going to lose some steam,” Owens said. “This is something that's been voted on numerous times over the years. This was the first time we got to seven votes, but even with that, you know, you need nine to overturn a veto.”
The Tide Shift Justice Project reports there were 60 water service shutoffs in 2023, 57 in 2024 and 48 in 2025. They say protecting even one person from going without water is worth the effort to pass this ordinance.
There have been no water service disconnections so far this year because of the city’s transition to complications with their new billing system.
Walker said the stress on the city’s water fund as a result of delinquent payments is severe enough to require those fees be paid.
“That [fund] is drying up largely because we do not, in any given year, fund our water accounts to the level that they should be,” Walker said. “... So yes, not doing or pursuing disconnections or interest and penalties for lack of payment has stressed the city's water system, and we have advised council and the public as much during our budget hearings as well.”
Owens argued water service shutoffs are unfairly used on residents while commercial sites are allowed to be delinquent and not have water shutoffs.
“We have commercial properties that owe hundreds of thousands of dollars in water bills, but their water is not being shut off,” Owens said. “But with them saying that, the notion is that it's okay to shut off water for a senior on a fixed income, someone who is living with a disability, or or just a young family that has children under five. That's not fair.”
City Council has the option to override the veto but would need nine votes in favor to do so.
