North Las Vegas to defer utility payments for federal workers

North Las Vegas is offering utility payment deferrals to federal workers affected by the ongoing government shutdown, officials announced Monday.

“My job is to support and assist our residents, and if one government is making these people’s lives more difficult, our government will step in to help ease the burden,” Mayor John Lee said in a statement.

The deferred payment plan will allow federal workers to pay what they can on water and sewer services during the shutdown, then pay off the balance after the government re-opens. The city will not charge interest or penalties on the carried balance, according to a news release.

Monday marked the 17th day of the shutdown, which has forced hundreds of thousands of federal workers nationwide to stay home or work without pay.

To participate, customers must be in good standing with the city and not have more than two late payments over the past year, according to the release. Federal workers can contact the North Las Vegas utilities department at 702-633-1484 to sign up.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.