Updated 5/27/20

Pulaski Electric System voted to end the suspension of disconnects due to COVID-19 as of May 29 during the May meeting.

PES CEO Richard Kelley told board members that the large majority of neighboring electric departments are also targeting a late May or early June date to resume disconnect procedures.
PES began suspending disconnects April 1, resulting in a total of 698 electric customers with delinquent accounts avoiding loss of service.
The PES Board of Directors created a five-month payment plan to help those with outstanding payments settle their accounts without losing services.
PES analyzed average monthly bills over the previous year and came up with a solution to allow customers to spread their debt out over a five-month period on top of their regular bills.
Kelly said by October we should have that delinquent amount paid off prior to winter months when many customers see their utility bills spike due to heating costs.
The new policy also addresses late fees which are 5 percent for the first $250 of outstanding debt before decreasing to 1 percent for any amount above that threshold. The average late fee for the 301 customers with current debt would be $11.74.
Kelley addressed that while the suspension of disconnects will end May 29th, PES will not be disconnecting all customers with outstanding payments all at once.
Normal billing cycles will continue for each individual account with due dates and disconnect dates remaining the same as what customers are accustomed to.
Kelley told the Board that Energize is in better shape than expected when it comes to outstanding accounts. A total of 205 accounts avoided disconnection due to the suspension, with 146 having since settled their accounts.
As a result, only 59 customers are still past due on bills, which falls within the realm of a normal month of business.