The City of Union will again assist elderly and low-income utility customers with their winter heating bills.

Union City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to renew the release of Community Change funds to the city's home heating assistance program.

Finance Director Walker Gallman told council Community Change funds are generated by rounding the utility bills of participating customers to the next dollar. The change from those bills are transferred monthly to a stand-alone account which has a current balance of $10,380 and generates approximately $1,800 a month.

Gallman said the funds may be used to assist qualified utility customers with their winter heating bills or as council may otherwise direct. He said the funds generated this year will be available to assist with heating bills received from Jan. 1, 2010, through April 30, 2010. This past year, the program provided a total of $6,621 worth of assistance to 97 customers.

In years past, the screening process for the program has been handled by The Salvation Army and Carolina Community Actions, Inc. Letters from both organizations offering their services again for this year were part of Walker's presentation to council.

Gallman said in the event Community Change funds are exhausted prior to the end of winter, $20,000 in Utility Fund retained earnings have been budgeted to supplement the program.

In other business:

• Council voted unanimously to award the bid for the demolition of the old Coca-Cola Building and its concrete pads to Ray Lemons Bulldozing for $35,005.

• Council also gave approval to awarding the bid for the removal of asbestos from old Teritex Building on North Pinckney Street to JBR Environmental for $57,227.

Plans are for the building to be demolished and a community center built in its place which would be used by Boogaloo Folk Life Theatre for stage productions.