Last week, the Covington City Council approved the first reading of an ordinance to do away with the hang tags placed on the doors of folks who have fallen behind on their utility bills and are in danger of being cut off.

It was a vote of 4-2.

We commend the majority of the council for taking this step; this form of notification is nothing more than adding salt to a wound. A wound that in most cases can't be healed.

People who have fallen behind on their utility bills know full well that they owe and if they don't pay up what is going to happen.

Putting bright yellow tags on their doors for not paying a bill is a relic of past dealings with people, which included practicing humiliation tactics.

This would be bad enough, but there's also a $15 tag fee.

Charging an extra $15 to someone who is struggling to make ends meet is equally insulting and just plain not fair.