Columbus City Utilities is continuing to hold off on disconnections, despite seeing the number of past due customers increase "significantly."
“We’re seeing numbers in the 400 range of would-be disconnects," said manager of finance and business operations Arron O’Neal at a recent utility service board meeting.
O’Neal said that as of the week ending Dec. 18, there are 428 delinquent customers.
O’Neal said that out of 123 customers who have signed up for temporary payment plans, 30 have "dropped back into a delinquency." He added that the initial deadline to sign up for these plans was Oct. 30, and anyone who signed up before that was "not subject to disconnection or penalties."
O’Neal said that Columbus City Utilities later decided to offer temporary payment plans past that deadline due to "ongoing circumstances as a result of COVID-19 in our community."
"CCU extended a modified temporary payment plan in which customers are not subject to disconnection; however, if the customer becomes delinquent while on this plan, they will be assessed penalties on the monthly billed amount," he said. "The modified temporary payment plan does not currently have a deadline for customers to sign up.”
He said at the utility service board’s Dec. 17 meeting that Columbus City Utilities has been unable to collect $26,000 in fees "due to not disconnecting customers."
O’Neal said the utilities department is still "contemplating" when to begin disconnects, especially in light of recent COVID-19 spikes and the need for proper hand-washing and hygiene.
"It’s kind of a balancing act on when we want to start disconnecting customers, because we are seeing this financial impact from not," he said. "But at the same time, we need to be aware of the pandemic and the financial hardships that goes (sic) along with it.”
However, while disconnects are not occurring, Neal did note that the utilities department resumed assessing penalties to "all newly delinquent charges" in November.
"Since March, the Governor and the IURC had prohibited all jurisdictional utilities from charging these fees," he stated in a financial report to the utility service board. "This mandate has since been lifted, allowing these charges to be assessed. In total, CCU was unable to apply $129,011 in penalties.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”Where to learn more” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
More information about the temporary payment extension program is available at www.columbusutilities.org/payment-assistance-program/. This page also contains a link to a list of agencies that can provide financial assistance to customers.
More information about penalties and fees is available at columbusutilities.org/billing-rates/.
[sc:pullout-text-end]
