Spiking utility bills fuel outrage in Quincy

Amid controversy over high utility bills, Quincy Commissioner says some citizens are “hard to deal with” and thanks the utility department for helping customers “feel good about not giving all their money to the city” so they can still buy liquor and cigarettes.

Many Quincy residents are upset after receiving utility bills that have significantly increased over the past few months.

Quincy City Commission held a workshop on February 24 to try to find out what has caused the spike.

“After hearing the concerns of the commission as well as the many calls that we have been triaging over the last month, we are coming forth with some information in terms of what we’ve been doing to help with the situation, as well as follow up with our customers,” Interim City Manager Dr. Beverly Nash told the commissioners. “We often time hear the complaints, but we don’t hear the other side where we are proactive in terms of trying to assist, trying to get ahead, and trying to understand.”

The commissioners then heard from Customer Service Director Carolyn Bush.

Bush said the last cut-off date went much smoother than the one before.

She said her department put in extra work making sure the people who had paid had their names were removed from the cut-off list.

“We started calling very early and reminding those customers that were on the list to make a payment, and yes we had a lot of stories,” said Bush. “We know that bills were a little higher than normal with the cold weather that we faced earlier, and we did work with a lot of customers.”

Bush said as customers called in, she had the customer service representatives put the phones on speaker so she could listen in and “get a feel of the distress” the customers were going through.

“Most of them – when you’re having bills $400, and you normally have a $250 or $300 bill, they were very stressed, and they had to make decisions,” Bush said. “They would come out and say, ‘I had to make a decision whether I’m going to pay on my car or pay my light bill, or my medicine.”

It’s not just cold weather causing the hike in utility bills.

Some residents’ meters aren’t being read in a timely manner.

A typical billing cycle is 30 or 31 days.

Bush admitted that an elderly woman had nine extra days on her utility, causing her bill her bill to be higher than what she’s used to paying.

“She was very upset, and I promised her ‘Ma’am, we’re not going to turn your utilities off; I understand,’” Bush said to the commissioners.

Bush said that error was the city’s fault, she also said she allowed that particular customer to pay what she could afford.

Bush said she allowed others to bring in money and allowed them to set up payment arrangements.

During the workshop also Bush said they only disconnected 20 residents’ utilities this cycle.

“Normally it’s a lot more people than that,” Bush noted.

She also said that those who were cut off are back on because they have paid.

Bush said the city has been going out and rereading meters for those who request it.

Commissioner Freida Bass-Prieto said some of her issues with bills are out of Bush’s hands.

“The 9 to 15 extra days on bills, we’ve got to figure out a way that doesn’t happen,” Bass-Prieto said. “We can’t do that to someone in the coldest part of the year when it’s going to push their bill up.

Commissioner Keith Dowdell thanked the customer service department.

“It’s not you all’s fault, but y’all have to take the heat,” Dowdell said.

Dowdell said he has received calls from residents, and he says he tells them to go to city hall to talk to the customer service representatives, but he says some of the citizens are “hard to deal with.”

Dowdell said lately he hasn’t been getting those phone calls, so he thinks something is working.

Dowdell said most of the houses in Quincy don’t have insulation, which he says cause the bill to be higher during the winter.

“Utility bills are going to be sky-high in the winter because everybody just wants to go home and be comfortable,” Dowdell said. “They don’t think about it until after they get that bill, and believe me, I was that way before too.”

Dowdell said he conducted an experiment once, by not using gas for an entire month and he said his bill dropped from $600 to about $100.

“I had to suffer, but it told me, it’s not The City of Quincy,” Dowdell said. “It’s my fault, and I’ll take the blame for it.”

Dowdell said he had to get his house repaired to keep his utility bill at a lower amount.

Dowdell said people don’t understand if they keep their heat on when they leave home, the heat is flowing causing the utility bill price to jump.

“So I applaud you all, on the way folks come in here and approach you about these high utility bills, and you calm them down and they leave here feeling good “that I don’t have to spend all my money at the city of Quincy; I can continue to go to the liquor store; I can still go get my cigarettes; I can still do whatever I want to do,”’ Dowdell said to Bush.

Commissioners Angela Grant Sapp and Anessa Albritton-Canidate both commended Bush, who was recently appointed to the position, for her hard work.

Grant Sapp said not only does Quincy have an abundance of old houses that aren’t weatherized as they should be, some of the apartment complexes opt for appliances that are not energy efficient.

Albritton-Canidate added that she is pleased to know the staff is communicating better with the citizens.

Albritton-Canidate also said she would like to see a campaign or commercial where the citizens can see how they can conserve energy in their homes.

Erin Hill - erin@gadsdencountytimes.com

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Spiking utility bills fuel outrage in Quincy

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