City makes billing error in Ward 3 billing area, issues statement
City Manager Charles Davis issues the following statement in response to the meeting that was held on Thursday, October 10, 2019, at Roundtree Center by Commissioner Kentaiwon Durham, Reverend Michael Newton and Dr. Anthony Davis. “We apologize for this utility billing error and have worked out some solutions to benefit customers in Ward 3, with hopes to provide relief due to the additional 9 days increase within the September billing cycle,” says City Manager Charles Davis.
In August, the utility billing Ward 3 cycle was not a full billing cycle, it was incorrectly shortened by seven days. To correct the error, bills that went out in September included the seven days that were missed in August plus it included 2 days for the weekend, bringing the total to nine days. Citizens should be aware that utility billing wards are not the same as commissioner wards within the City of Douglas. If your Douglas Utilities customer account number begins with “3,” then you are in the Ward 3 billing cycle, which was affected by this error.
Due to the hardship this caused many customers, the City of Douglas has in place several solutions to assist customers who are affected by this error. The solutions are as follows:
- Immediately, the City of Douglas is waiving the late payments/penalty fees for Utility Billing Ward 3 for September.
- The cut-off date will be extended to October 30, 2019 for Utility Billing Ward 3 only.
- Customers in utility billing ward 3 cycle will be allowed to setup a payment plan for the cost of the 9 days.
In order to respond quickly and efficiently, in processing utility concerns or issues, customers are encouraged to contact the Customer Care Center before posting on social media pages. Customers, who were affected by this error and need assistance, should contact the Customer Care Center to set up an assistance plan by October 23, 2019. Most importantly, if a citizen notices an unusual spike in their utility usage or bill, customers are urged to contact the Customer Care Center by dialing 3-1-1 or (912) 384-3302.
The City of Douglas currently has in place several assistance plans to utility customers: Utility Payment Plan, My Usage “Pay As You Go”, and a Senior Citizen Discount. Customers can keep track of their utility usage by using Utility Hawk and MyUsage, which are tools to aid in tracking consumption and expected utility costs on a day-to-day basis. Free of charge, the City offers customers an energy efficiency audit, which includes suggestions for decreasing utility usage. Douglas Utilities offers senior citizen customers an opportunity to take advantage of the Weatherization Program, which offers loans for home weatherization.
Again, the City of Douglas apologizes for this utility billing mistake, the confusion and hardship it has caused and encourages customers to call Customer Care Center for more details on solutions.