City of Breese issued the following announcement on Aug. 28.
On September 1, Ameren will end its moratorium on service disconnections due to the Pandemic. The following message from Ameren's Paula Nixon explains how customers can avoid disconnections of power. The information is provided to mayors in an effort to help their constituents. A web address you can give to constituents for help is also provided at the end of her message (AmerenIllinois/Recovery). Thank you, Judy Nelson
Dear Mayor –
Ameren Illinois has taken action to help ease the financial burden for customers who are struggling to pay their energy bills during COVID-19. Under our Economic Hardship Recovery Program, we have been providing bill payment assistance and offering repayment periods of up to 24 months. In fact, since launching our new Fresh Start program in early July, we have allocated more than $4.6 million to nearly 10,000 customers. We have also joined with our state agency partners to help connect our customers with available external funding, including the State of Illinois' Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
In March, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we suspended service disconnections for nonpayment. We want to help customers avoid building up unmanageable energy bills, and over the last several months have been urging them to contact us to explore their options. Recently, a joint agreement between the Illinois Commerce Commission, Illinois utilities, the Attorney General's office, and consumer groups set a mutually agreed upon date for Illinois utilities to resume normal operations. In alignment with that agreement, the assessment of late fees resumed in July and service disconnections for non-payment will resume in September.
Residential customers in your community may have begun receiving disconnection notices. These notices for nonpayment are issued throughout the month based on the customer's bill cycle. The notice gives the customer eight (8) business days to make arrangements to prevent disconnection. We want you to know that disconnection is always the last resort and we communicate multiple times with the customer to provide them with information on available funding and payment agreement options.
If you are contacted by a customer who is concerned about receiving a disconnection notice, please urge them to take action. Financial resources are available, but customers must reach out, apply for the funding, and inquire about entering into a deferred payment agreement, if needed. More information on direct assistance from Ameren Illinois, and information on state funding, is available at AmerenIllinois.com/Recovery.
Paula
Paula Nixon : : Community Relations Executive : : T 618.236.6259 : : C 618.402.5236
Ameren Illinois : : 1050 West Blvd. : : Belleville, IL 62221
Original source can be found here.
Source: City of Breese
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