– The St. Martinville City Council voted at a special meeting on Friday to set up a threemonth payment plan for the recent high electric bills that were a result of a January freeze that sent energy costs soaring nationwide and resulted in a huge increase in electric bills for customers.
“We’re calling a special meeting to see if we can do a three-month payment plan just for that month of January usage, which would be the bill that they got in the mail recently,” Mayor Jason Willis said.
That bill would be divided into three payments for qualifying customers.
Payment
Customers would have to be current on their payments, meaning if they have a past due balance they would not qualify for the payment plan.
The mayor said that the utilities department, councilmen and the mayor himself have all received numerous complaints for the high bills, which were a result of nationwide fuel shortages caused by the January freeze that raised heating usage dramatically.
The mayor said that the customers who qualify for the payment plan would pay one third of the bill for three months, which would be added to the customer’s current bill each of the next three months.
“I need the people to know that there’s a twoweek extension they can get every year that’s been in place,” he said.
The motion carried by a 3-0 vote as council members Mike Fuselier and Carol Frederick were unable to attend the special meeting.
The city posted a letter on its Facebook page explaining the decision and will include it in bills to customers as well.
“We recognize that the recent increase in the electric portion of utility bills has created a financial burden for many of our residents,” the letter read. “This increase is largely due to a substantial rise in the fuel charge, which is a pass-through cost associated with the price of fuel used to generate electricity. While this cost is outside the City’s direct control, we fully understand the challenges that unexpected increases in monthly expenses can bring.”
The letter explained that qualifying customers would be allowed to divide the electric portion of their utility bill dated Feb. 28 into three equal payments, to be paid during the months of March, April, and May.
“Our goal is to help lessen the immediate impact of the increase while giving residents additional time to manage the cost,” the letter read.
To qualify for the payment plan:
• the utility account must be current and active; • the account cannot have an outstanding balance prior to the Feb. 28, 2026, bill.
Residents who qualify and choose to participate in this payment plan will not be charged late fees or penalties on the Feb. 28 utility bill while the payment arrangement is in place.
The city also planned to reach out to SMILE and other assistance agencies to determine whether additional funding or resources may be available to help residents.
