Iowa City Good Samaritan pays fellow residents' water bills

IOWA CITY - More than a dozen families in Iowa City received an unexpected Thanksgiving gift from an anonymous local woman: running water.

Iowa City officials say a woman walked into City Hall on Nov. 22 and donated $1,640 to pay off 17 local water utility accounts to ensure they had running water for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Iowa City Revenue and Risk Manager Melissa Miller says the generosity shocked city officials, who then worked with the woman to identify accounts with overdue balances that she could pay off.

The Iowa City Public Works director, Rick Fosse, said the woman wanted to make sure people had water for the Thanksgiving holiday. “There were 17 customers that fit the bill, 11 were already shut off and 6 were about to be shut off,” said Fosse. The city shuts water services off on Tuesday's, but only when a payment has not been made 48 days after it was due.

Water was turned back on shortly after the payment. The city will notify the residents about why their water was turned back on. They are hoping this was just the boost people needed to get back on track, and pay their bills. “Sometimes that's just what it takes,” said Fosse.