Austin Energy late fees to resume

AUSTIN (KXAN) -

Austin Energy's grace period is coming to an end.

The city-owned electric company is resuming the use of fees on utility bills that are not paid by their due date, which will be effective in July.

Late fees were suspended because of the instillation of a new customer billing system that was introduced Oct. 3.

The upgrade required an eight-month period to make sure the improvements were quality assured by Austin Energy.

Utility companies usually do away with late fees when replacing billing systems, Austin Energy said.

The return of late fees means that customers who don’t pay their July utility bill on time will be given a late fee that will show on their August bill.

The city is also encouraging utility customers who are behind on their bill to take steps to bring their account up to date.

Utility staffers will work with customers to set up monthly payment plans to help achieve this goal.

They will also help customers apply for assistance available to low-income customers who qualify.

You can drop a line to the Customer Contact Center or stop by one of the City of Austin walk-in centers.