Most weeks, this blog is pretty light-hearted. It comes with puns and jokes, childhood memories, and some truly geeky pop-culture references, all while keeping you up to date on things you need to know in the LPC electric and NextLight broadband world.

This week, we’re getting more serious.

Utility bills can be that way. Especially the ones that may be facing disconnection for non-payment.

When the COVID-19 pandemic flared up, Longmont put its utility disconnections on hold, like a lot of communities. Unlike a lot of communities, Longmont kept them on hold through the entire state of emergency in Colorado. For 16 months, the most-overdue bills – 37 days or more – have continued to be due, but without any risk of turnoff, so that folks could have the time they needed to climb out from under the avalanche that the coronavirus created. 

Now some of the rubble’s been shifted. The City’s still willing to help – but in a different way.

On July 26 – a week away – non-payment disconnections will resume for those 37+ day overdue bills. That affects about 3,000 utility customers out of roughly 42,000 in the entire Longmont service area. Some of those bills have been due since before the pandemic; all of them together come to about $2.2 million.

We know it’s a big lift for some people. If you’re one of them and it’s too much to lift in one go, please call the Utility Billing office at 303-651-8664. They can talk with you about options, such as a payment plan to help keep the lights on and the repayment manageable. (Also, with the resumption of the CARE energy efficiency program, you may be able to make some free improvements that will save on your future utility bills.)

No, it’s not an easy subject at all. But just as in 2020, we want to help our community get through the worst and to a better place. Call. Talk with us. Let’s see what we can do.

Light-hearted may not be appropriate this week. But good-hearted is always welcome.