By Jeremy Pittari, Item Staff Writer
The Picayune Item
MIAMI —
Without separate cut off notices being mailed to Picayune city residents anymore some city utility customers may be unaware that their utility service will be cut off for non-payment.
City Clerk Priscilla Daniel said last month that to save money the city would begin adding cut off messages to the monthly bills. Previously the city would send a separate cut-off notice to inform utility customers of their past due account. But a recent effort to cut expenses has changed that policy to instead include the cut-off notice on each monthly bill, if the account is behind.
Daniel said it only takes one month of a missed payment to have a customer’s service cut off. So if a customer received a bill in July for services in June that were not paid, then that customer has until Aug. 16, to get their account caught up. After that day city employees will be out cutting off service to past due accounts.
“Anyone with a past due bill will need to get in here and pay it or they’re going to be cut off,” Daniel said.
If a customer’s service is cut off then the customer will be required to pay an additional $50 reconnect fee on top of the past due charges.
