EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) —The El Paso City Council has been reviewing El Paso Electric’s (EPE) disconnection policies and practices to ensure that the utility is complying with state regulations and providing protections for its customers.
El Paso Electric officials shared their disconnection and deposit policies with the City Council during its meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
“We really looked at the Public Utility Commission of Texas rules that allow us to collect up to two months of a deposit based on the average 12-month consumption of a premises for those customers who don’t have a good credit worthiness, or for those customers who fail to make payments and get disconnected. At that point, we review their account and try to come up with what an appropriate deposit is. Again, up to two months, depending on how much they owe,” said Cheryl Mele, vice president of customer and employee services for El Paso Electric.
Mele said that the utility also offers a variety of programs for customers struggling to pay their electric bills.
“We also, for qualifying customers, have a low-income rider or a discount program for our customers that will waive the $9.25 customer charge on their bills. Primarily, those customers are enrolled because they already may be receiving a SNAP benefit or other benefits,” she said.
City Rep. Cassandra Hernandez said El Paso Electric does have programs to help its customers but adds that not many people are aware of them or enrolled in these programs.
“At our next council meeting, we expect to hear from our City management on what they would like to propose to council about additional safeguards that they’ve identified across the state and to the extent that the Public Utility Commission in the state allows. So we’re hoping that El Paso Electric ratepayers will have some better news in the future,” Hernandez said.
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