News Release: March 3, 2021
Macon Municipal Utilities understands that customers are looking for certainty. There is hope that the COVID-19 world-wide pandemic is being addressed with multiple vaccines. Also, MMU has communicated with customers regarding a vertical spike in natural gas prices in February 2021. MMU is actively engaged in the federal and state investigations into price gouging for natural gas where commodity prices increased 100x over a four-day period, February 13-16, 2021. Until more is known and whether or not any relief packages will be offered, a plan to recover reserves to pay for the natural gas has not been put into place.
One option for a little bit of certainty is to enroll in MMU’s Budget Billing Program. Applications are being accepted through Friday, April 23, 2021. The program for 2021 will begin with May 1, 2021 utility billing statements. The program allows customers to even out their utility costs by paying the same amount each month. A service location’s average utility usage is referenced to compute their monthly payment. Eligibility criteria are listed below.
- There should be a 12-month billing history at the service location.
- It is desired for the customer’s account to have a zero balance.
- The customer must agree to pay the full budget amount each month by the due date. If full payment is not received or if payment is not processed due to insufficient funds, MMU may return the customer to regular billing. The customer will not be eligible for Budget Billing until the next cycle.
This program benefits the customer by allowing them to build up a credit on their account during low usage months, which is then applied towards their costs for high usage months. Customers are responsible for their own account and can monitor the balance through their monthly statement. Accounts are reconciled each April and Budget Billing monthly payment amounts are reset for the coming year.
In addition to the Budget Billing Program, customers can also sign up for automatic draft where their monthly bill amount is automatically deducted from their checking or savings account. MMU also offers e-statements for monthly utility bills.
Applications and additional information about Budget Billing, automatic draft programs and e-statements are available by on the Resources – Forms & Applications tab. The MMU Business Office can be contacted at (660) 385-3173, 106 W. Bourke Street, Macon, MO 63552, or [email protected].