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St. Peter will discontinue after‑hours electric reconnections and related fee; change effective Oct. 1
Summary
Council voted to remove after‑hours reconnection service and its $300 fee, citing low use and upcoming dispatch changes; staff will notify customers via delinquent notices, emails and (optionally) text and explore weekday scheduling options to reduce hardship.
The St. Peter City Council on Sept. 8 voted to discontinue the electric utility's after‑hours reconnection service and to remove associated fee schedule lines. Perry told the council the after‑hours service—defined as reconnections after 3:30 p.m. Monday–Thursday, after noon on Fridays, weekends and holidays—costs $300 plus tax and has seen minimal use (one customer in fiscal 2024 and none so far in 2025).
"That service and fee cost $300 plus tax," Perry said, explaining that the city will discontinue the service because upcoming dispatch changes with Nicollet County would make providing the service onerous and expensive. He said the city will strike the relevant lines from the fee schedule and implement the change effective Oct. 1 to align with dispatch changes.
To mitigate customer impact, Perry and staff said they will revise delinquent and disconnect notices to include email and landlord notifications, add optional text alerts for customers who opt in, and roll out a customer portal in the coming months. Staff also discussed possibly changing the days when disconnects occur to avoid payday conflicts and noted existing winter protections and heat‑emergency flexibilities.
By roll call the council approved the resolution amending the 2025 municipal fee schedule to discontinue the after‑hours reconnection service; the resolution indicates the change will take effect Oct. 1, 2025.
