Ameren helping pay utility bills with settlement money

Natural gas offers relief from long, blustery winters and air conditioners offer relief from stifling summer heat. Using both has caused many low-income Southeast Missouri families to fall behind on their utility bills.

AmerenUE is now offering a different kind of relief -- financial, in the form of a one-time program that will pay past-due bills for customers who have trouble paying and fall below the poverty line.

The utility company is using $3 million of $110 million it received from a rate-reduction settlement approved last year by the Missouri Public Service Commission to finance the Clean Slate Program.

About $200,000 of that is set aside for Southeast Missouri, said AmerenUE spokesman Mike Cleary. That amount was based on population, he said.

'Back to square one'

The money has been sent to 40 social-service agencies in Missouri, including the East Missouri Action Agency in Cape Girardeau. The program will continue until May 31 or until the money is exhausted, Cleary said.

"We chose May because it's after winter and before summer, and it will help people get back to square one again," Cleary said. "It's a pilot program and we've never done this before, so we really don't know how many will take advantage of it."

Carla Vollertsen, the community service representative for the Cape Girardeau office of the East Missouri Action Agency, said local response has been tremendous. She said about 100 clients have asked about energy assistance since May 1 -- about 30 per day.

"We're going to see a lot more," she said.

The East Missouri Action Agency is at 1111 Linden. The phone number is 334-5533.

Vollertsen said that a family of four would have to make below $1,533 a month in order to qualify. People must come in and fill out an application to see if they can get their utility bill paid.

Eligible customers who have service that has not been disconnected must pay 10 percent of the overdue bill for the program to pay off the balance. Customers whose service has already been disconnected must pay 20 percent of their delinquent bill.

"I think it's a wonderful program," Vollertsen said. "What people have to understand is they can't get behind again. They need to pay that bill every month."

She said that if the bill is more than $600, it will be paid, but East Missouri Action Agency cannot help them with its other energy-assistance programs for a year.

"That's why we're emphasizing that if they get a $90 bill, don't pay $60, pay the $90," she said.

Money going fast

She said there probably won't be enough money to help everyone who wants it.

Cleary said that money is going fast at each of the 40 social-service agencies.

The Public Service Commission complained last year that AmerenUE's rates were unreasonable and should be reduced. Then, in July, PSC voted in favor of a settlement, which provided for rate reductions over four years.

The settlement also called for $9 million to go to the company's Dollar More program, which provides funds to low-income customers to assist in paying energy bills.

Missouri has 1.1 million electric customers and 112,000 natural gas customers. AmerenUE would not provide local customer numbers or say how many customers in the area had utilities turned off because of unpaid bills.

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137