Hickory's city manager says unpaid utility bills are costing the local government approximately $100,000 per month. | Stock Photo
Hickory's city manager says unpaid utility bills are costing the local government approximately $100,000 per month. | Stock Photo
City Manager Warren Wood said Hickory's number of delinquent utility customers has doubled and is costing the municipality approximately $100,000 per month since Gov. Roy Cooper ordered the suspension of utility disconnections and late fees for payments.
Warren said that most of the delinquent accounts are because people are either struggling to afford to make their payments or are confused by the governor’s order, The Hickory Daily Record reported on June 9.
“The challenge is going to be some people may take that as ‘I don’t have to pay my water and sewer bills,’” Wood said, The Hickory Daily Record reported. “The governor’s order was we can’t turn you off, but we have to put you on a payment plan to make it right.”
The governor’s utility order was scheduled to end on May 31, but was extended to July 29, The Hickory Daily Record reported.
To help recover lost utility revenue, the city is intending to use $194,000 in governmental relief funding, The Hickory Daily Record reported. Wood and Community Development Manager Karen Dickerson plan to distribute the funds to nonprofits, which would then distribute the money to people who have been affected financially by the pandemic and are behind on utility bills.
Other cities in the county are also reporting lost utility revenue from delinquent accounts.
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