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Hertford tweaks utility billing: 25‑day window, fewer extensions, cut‑off protections when freezing
Summary
Finance Director Ashley Eure told council the town extended the billing-to-due interval to 25 days, eliminated limited billing extensions, and will avoid cut-offs when temperatures are below 32°F or on weekends to ease customer payment timing; staff said the changes are intended to help customers but cautioned budget billing can create large seasonal balances.
Hertford officials on Feb. 23 described changes to the town’s utility billing practices intended to ease payment burdens on customers.
Finance Director Ashley Eure said the town lengthened the time between bill issuance and due date to 25 days and eliminated the previous three‑times‑per‑year billing extension policy. Eure said payments will be due later in the month to better align with many customers’ income schedules, and staff will not perform service cut‑offs when the temperature is below 32°F or on weekends.
Manager Doris Walton told council the changes were made, in part, to reduce hardships and to streamline billing administration after a software conversion rendered the previous budget‑billing function unreliable. Walton and Eure cautioned that budget billing—where a customer pays a level monthly amount to spread seasonal use—carries tradeoffs: it can create a monetary surplus in low‑use months but also may produce a large balance owed in high‑use months if usage spikes.
Council did not take a formal vote on the billing policy at the Feb. 23 meeting; Walton said staff implemented the timing and extension changes administratively.
Eure said the town discontinued limited billing extensions but increased the time customers have to pay so residents have more predictable payment windows. The council asked staff to continue monitoring customer impacts and report back if further changes are needed.
