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Seaford council adopts ordinance changing electric disconnection rules
Summary
Seaford Mayor and Council unanimously adopted an ordinance revising Chapter 6, Article 2 of the municipal code to change delinquent-notification and electric service termination procedures, adding third‑party notification, medical protections and seasonal limits on disconnects.
Seaford Mayor and Council on July 8 unanimously approved an ordinance amending Chapter 6, Article 2 of the City of Seaford municipal code to revise electric delinquent-notification and service-termination procedures, city staff said.
City staff said the changes are required by a state law signed by the governor and include new paperwork and procedures for third‑party notifications, limits on when crews may disconnect service, and protections for customers with medical needs. Kathy Anger, billing manager, gave council a redlined version of the proposed code changes during the meeting and summarized the key details.
Anger said the ordinance requires customers to keep account information current, establishes a third‑party notification option, and creates a dispute-resolution process that ends with the city manager as the final arbiter. "All of these changes are required by a state law that was passed and signed into law by the governor," Anger said. She told council the city must adopt the ordinance before a deadline she referenced in the presentation.
The amended code narrows the days and hours when disconnections are allowed, requires 72 hours' notice before a disconnect, and restricts disconnections to Monday through Thursday (with holidays observed). The ordinance also defines weather-related exceptions: a heat event is a heat index above 93, and a cold-weather event is when the temperature at 8:00 a.m. at the Georgetown Airport is below 32 degrees; during those events disconnections are prohibited.
Customers may file a statement from a medical professional stating electricity is a medical necessity; Anger said that certification prevents termination for 120 days and must be renewed after that period. The draft also formalizes a dispute process for billing disagreements and sets the city manager as the final reviewer after staff and customer attempts to resolve the issue.
Councilman Mike Bradley moved to adopt the ordinance; Councilman Orlando Holland seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The city will advertise the ordinance and the changes will take effect 30 days after that advertisement, city staff said.
The changes were presented as a second reading; city staff said the council held a public hearing and received an in-depth presentation at the prior meeting.
