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Fees & Deposits Suspended by Florence to Resume

RESUMPTION OF FEES SUSPENDED DURING HURRICANE FLORENCE 

The City of New Bern will resume certain utility fees that were suspended during hurricane Florence.  Due to the storm’s widespread impact across our area, the Board of Aldermen unanimously agreed in September to temporarily suspend late fees, delinquencies and shutoffs for nonpayment.  The Board also agreed to waive new deposits for current customers until mid-November.  These actions effectively extended the due date of unpaid bills until such time that the City could recover from the hurricane. 

All past due amounts must be brought current by close of business on Friday, December 7th .  If customers are unable to get caught up or current, they are encouraged to visit the Utility Business Office (UBO) at 606 Fort Totten Drive and speak to a customer service representative about a special storm payment arrangement.  The UBO is open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm.  No appointment is necessary.  However, appointments are encouraged to reduce customer wait time. These special storm payment arrangements will not count towards the four payment arrangements allowed each fiscal year under the City’s current business practices, but customers must remain current once the arrangement is made.  If the special storm payment arrangement is broken, the past due account balance must be paid in full.  Attached is a document reflecting our business practices with regards to deposits and payment arrangements.  

Late fees, delinquent fees and shutoffs for nonpayment will resume after December 7th.  Deposit requirements will resume after November 15th.  Deposits caused by late and delinquent actions will resume after December 7th. 

The reinstatement of fees comes more than 90 days after hurricane Florence ravaged New Bern and eastern North Carolina.  “The Board of Aldermen and management staff have carefully considered this resumption of fees after the storm,” said Mark Stephens, City Manager. “We remain sympathetic to the hardships faced by our residents and are implementing special storm payment arrangements to ease the burden on our customers.  We appreciate the community’s understanding during this recovery process.”  

Utility staff are prepared to answer questions and assist customers with payment arrangements. As a reminder, customers have several options for paying City of New Bern utility bills: online at www.newbernnc.gov, at the Utility Business Office, and at Walmart stores in our area.