More than 6,000 local residents have received calls over the past several days from City Utilities notifying them that they'll have to pay their bills after a nearly four-month grace period on disconnections.
As the coronavirus pandemic shut down local businesses and some public spaces in mid-March, CU stopped disconnecting people's utilities for non-payment in order to help them through the pandemic.
Starting July 7, CU called more than 6,077 people and notified them they needed to pay their bills or make a payment plan to get caught up to avoid disconnection, according to CU spokesman Joel Alexander.
They weren't able to get in touch by phone with about 915 others who had outstanding bills, though Alexander said some may have come to the lobby or found other ways to make arrangements.
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If CU can't get in touch to make a plan, customers will receive a letter with an expected date for disconnection. The day or evening before a scheduled disconnection, CU makes a phone call to the customer notifying them of the situation and asking them to contact CU to avoid it.
"Our desire is to have open communication with the customer and help to avoid the disconnection if at all possible," he wrote in an email.
Customers who have questions about their bill or want to make arrangements should contact customer service at 417-863-9000.
There have been several scams making the rounds in recent months, Alexander noted, so real calls from CU won't suggest any methods of payment but will instead refer people to that customer service line.
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Katie Kull covers local government for the News-Leader. Got a story to tell? Give her a call at 417-408-1025 or email her at kkull@news-leader.com. You can also support local journalism at News-Leader.com/subscribe.
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July 11, 2020 at 05:27AM
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City Utilities ends suspension of disconnections for nonpayment amid COVID-19 pandemic - News-Leader
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