What Are Voluntary Contribution Programs?
Vol. III, No. 108 - A unique way local government can help us help others
Your message can be here!
Are you interested in becoming a sponsor of Civic Capacity? This publication has grown substantially with a subscriber roll of nearly 2,500 indidividuals receiving this newsletter daily. If you are interested in partnering to get your word about your civic minded business, please email pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.
For many families in Miami County, keeping up with basic expenses like rent and utilities is an ongoing challenge. Last week, this publication went in depth on how my own personal household was impacted with a larger-than-expected utility bill.
In fact, running one of the county’s largest human service nonprofits, I am very familiar with how impactful high utility costs are. So far In 2025, our nonprofit has provided more than $21,000 in direct help for rent and utility payments. That support reached over 550 residents.
While that number may sound small at first, it reflects a significant level of need in a county with a population under 110,000. Placed in perspective, that means about one in every 200 county residents received help with rent or utility bills so far this year.How Utilities Differ
When residents turn for help with utility costs, the type of provider matters. Some county electric utilities are tied to municipal systems, such as in Piqua and Tipp City. These cities not only control their own water and sewer operations, but they also run municipal electric systems.
That structure stands in contrast to investor-owned utilities, like CenterPoint Energy, the region’s main natural gas supplier, and AES Ohio, the primary electricity provider for much of the area. Unlike municipal systems, both of these larger investor-owned firms operate voluntary contribution programs that allow customers to add a little extra money when paying their bill.
Voluntary Contribution Programs Explained
These contribution programs are designed to collect small, voluntary donations from customers to help others who are struggling to pay their bills. Typically, customers will see a prompt on their bill asking if they want to round up to the nearest dollar or add a dollar or two to support a relief fund. Participation is entirely optional.
Funds raised this way are managed and distributed through programs crafted by the utilities themselves. In practice, this creates a direct, community-based way for small amounts of money from many households to provide targeted assistance to families in need. Municipal systems in Ohio do not currently offer this option.
Legal Barriers for Local Utilities
The absence of such programs at the local level is not for lack of interest. In Ohio, municipal utilities face legal limits on what they can do. For statutory cities like Troy, the state code only allows municipalities to take actions explicitly spelled out in law. The Ohio Revised Code does not give authority to municipal utilities to create voluntary contribution programs.
Charter cities like Piqua have somewhat more flexibility, as they can act unless state law directly prohibits it. Even so, the legal question of whether a charter city could create such a program has not been tested. The safer assumption has been that they cannot.
A Look at Washington State
Other states have found ways to bridge this gap. In Washington, state lawmakers passed a statute more than 30 years ago authorizing local utilities to create voluntary contribution programs. Under this law, utilities can include a request for extra donations within their regular billing system.
The funds collected are then sent to either a local nonprofit or a state-recognized agency that already administers federal energy assistance programs. These organizations are responsible for screening applicants and ensuring funds are used only to support low-income households with utility costs.
One example comes from Washougal, Washington, a city of about 16,000 people. Its municipal utility operates a voluntary program that gives eligible households up to $250 per year in emergency assistance. The program requires proof of income, evidence of residency, and in many cases, a disconnection notice before aid is granted.
Could Ohio Follow the Same Path?
The experience in Washington suggests there are models Ohio could follow if lawmakers chose to create enabling legislation. With clear state authorization, cities could implement their own voluntary contribution programs, giving residents a simple way to help their neighbors stay connected to essential services.
Local nonprofits show the demand is already here. It is estimated by the end of the year, one in every hundred Miami County residents will need help with meeting a housing or utility bill this year. The potential impact of even a modest relief program could be significant.
While state law would need to change before city-run utilities could participate, the idea raises a larger question: should Ohio give communities more tools to address basic needs locally? The evidence from other states suggests doing so would not be difficult, and the direct benefit for struggling families could be immediate.
Take our September Communty Survey!
September means it’s time for our every-other-month community survey. This three minute survey helps gauge our community’s thoughts on the progress being made in the community and asks you, our residents, on what our opportunities and challenges are.
And this is open to everyone! If the survey gets substantial interaction from other communities, this publication will publish those results!
Thanks for your time and your participation! It is greatly appreciated!
Thank you Readers!
Well, this newsletter was named a “Best Seller” on the Substack platform. But, since we recently lost a paid subscriber, we aren’t on the “Best Seller” list anymore.
Want to show your support and get us back on the list?
Consider spending $5 a month, or $50 a year to support this newsletter and the time, effort and energy it takes to create an opportunity for over 2,400 people each to learn something new about the place they call home.
Your generous support is vital to this effort!
A New Handbook to grow Civic Capacity!
Recently, we created a new digital handbook, “The Citizen’s Guide to Public Records”. This handbook is designed to help residents have a better understanding of public meetings and meeting records. It’s filled with templates, ideas and other information that will open a new world of public affairs.
Also, if you have ideas for future handbooks, please let us know at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.
Want to Learn More About Troy’s Businesses?
Our publication has recently released our August 2025 Economic Abstract, the most comprehensive and up-to-date report on the businesses and industries in the City of Troy. For those that want to understand our community’s business and industries, this is a must-have report.
Thank you to our New Media Partners!
Recently, many of our stories has been showing up on the local news website, www.mymiamicounty.com. We are grateful for the good folks for sharing our work with their audience and we would encourage our readers to check them out at their website!
Our publication would also like to recognize the good work being done at www.piquanewsnow.com. Piqua News Now is a new web-based news and information site for the Miami County area, with a specific focus on Piqua!
In addition, the good folks at Piqua News Now have started a new, 24-hour streaming YouTube channel. This channel is awesome with continuous weather updates and more importanly, it provides a 24-hour audio feed from county wide dispatch. Check it out here!
You Can Help Support This Work!
Our readers and subscribers have been asking for a new way to support the work being done here at Civic Capacity! Some of our readers do not like the idea of having to sign up for another subscription service. Some of our subscribers occasionally want to give more support through a one-time transaction.
Civic Capacity is partnering with “Buy Me A Coffee” to give our readers, subscribers and friends an opportunity to give one-time support to Civic Capacity. Personally, I don’t like coffee, but I will never turn down a nice iced tea. If you feel compelled to support this effort, just click the button below. In other words, this is an online tip jar.
Also, thanks for reading today’s Civic Capacity Newsletter! Please feel free to share this information with your friends and neighbors.
Also, please consider subscribing to our work. If you are a free subscriber, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. For less than $1 a week, you can get timely and conversational updates about the decisions that are impacting you and your community!