March 25- Last night, one day before Utility Bills were due, the City of Centralia adopted a motion to amend the Utility Billing and Collection policies in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Although more relief may come, the following amendments were approved (7-0):

• Temporarily suspend late fees for residential and small commercial customers.
• Small commercial customers that are mandated to close their business by the state will be offered the option to pay 50% of their utility bill balance due until July 1, 2020.  The account will need to be paid in full or have a payment set up by July 26, 2020 to avoid penalties and interest.  Other details to follow.
• Small commercial customers will not be sent to collections during the declared COVID-19 emergency.

Individuals, families, and businesses in our community will need assistance recovering from this crisis. Considering the City does not know the full economic impact, the amended policies were a welcomed first step and gives Centralia utility customers and the City the opportunity to take a deep breath, assess the situation, and consider additional relief before our next meeting in three week.

Peter Abbarno, Centralia Mayor Pro Tem

Learn more at www.CityofCentralia.com