UPDATED WITH RESPONSE BELOW FROM SISTER IN LAW
Mark Iwanski, who relies on his oxygen machine due to being diagnosed with emphysema and COPD, was one of 95 Salem account holders who had power shut off Tuesday for non-payment of utility bills.
The city shut his power off around noon without a phone call, according to Iwanski.
“A couple weeks ago, they did shove this notice in my door,” said Iwanski.
Iwanski says he owed $154.68 total. He said he called the utility office and was informed that his power would be turned back on upon payment of the bill.
Iwanski is disabled and lives on a fixed income and said he doesn’t drive. He said he didn’t know what to do. In the meantime, while his house slowly heated up, he was able to use his portable oxygen machine, which is battery operated.
“It lasts a few hours,” said Iwanski. “That’s when I called Randy (Emory).”
Randy Emory told The Salem News that he arrived at Iwanski’s around 4:30 p.m., and that Iwanski sent him with $200 to pay the bill at the electric department. Emory returned to Iwanski with the change, and the city had the electric back on before 5 p.m.
Iwanski paid the $154.68 bill with the additional $25 reconnect fee tacked on. Emory said that when he got to the utility office, he explained Iwanski’s situation and the lady at the desk immediately contacted crews to turn the power back on.
According to Iwanski, his battery-powered oxygen machine would not have lasted him through the night, and without air conditioning it would have been nearly impossible for him to breathe.
Iwanski lives on a fixed income – $817 a month, according to Iwanski – and he usually receives various types of assistance. Iwanski said last month he received assistance from South Central Missouri Community Action Agency.
“I called them up (the city) and asked them to send a fax (to SCMCAA), that’s how we did it last month,” he said of payments. “But I guess it didn’t go through or there wasn’t any more money.”
The Salem News contacted city administrator Ray Walden by phone call, text and email Thursday afternoon to ask if issues such as reliance on oxygen were considered when determining whose electric to disconnect. And if so, what measures were taken to prevent risking the health of a Salem resident?
“The city provided information to all of our customers about options to avoid interruption of service for non-payment, including targeted populations,” Walden responded via email.
The Salem News also asked if Iwanski was on the list called to warn of the impending disconnect.
“While I can’t discuss a specific customer’s private information, I can say customers can have a medical form on file with the utility office,” said Walden.
Iwanski's sister-in-law, Katie Iwanski, contacted The Salem News Friday morning after reading the story and contradicted Mark Iwanski's claim that he could not drive.
"He drives a red truck we purchased for him," she wrote in an email. She also wrote that her and her husband, Roman, "have seen him (Mark Iwanski) twice since they 'shoved' his cutoff notice under his door."
Katie Iwanski went on to write that Mark Iwanski could have contacted the city to make payment arrangements, and that he did not have a medical form on file with the city utility office.
She posted a more detailed response on Facebook.
Walden said of the 95 customers cut off Tuesday, 45 have since had service restored and 50 are still without power.
The City of Salem has experienced utility billing issues since installing new meters and a new billing system in November of 2019, twice falling behind with billing for three or more months.
Due to the billing issues, COVID-19 and then summer heat, the city did not have cutoffs for non-payment from November 2019 until this month.
