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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (42427)	4/12/2004 7:23:18 PM
From: Sully-	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Uh Oh! Now you have to add journalist to the resume. Congrats Jim!

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (42427)	4/13/2004 12:18:45 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Respond to of 89467

Sir: Enclosed is a SSAE. Please send me your autograph. Do it privately; I want to corner the market. Sundance

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (42427)	4/14/2004 11:51:26 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Respond to of 89467

Thousands haven't paid their utility bills Companies can shut off service beginning Friday By THOMAS CONTENT tcontent@journalsentinel.com Posted: April 11, 2004 The number of We Energies customers who are behind in their payments has jumped 11% as the deadline approaches for service to be cut off for those who don't pay their bills. Get Help Utility customers who are behind on their bills and want to avoid having their service disconnected should call their utilities before a state-imposed moratorium on shutting down service is over Friday. To reach the major utilities serving eastern Wisconsin, call: We Energies: (800) 842-4565 Wisconsin Power & Light: (800) 862-6222 Wisconsin Public Service: (800) 450-7260 Madison Gas & Electric: (608) 252-7144 The consumer affairs unit of the state Public Service Commission can be reached at (800) 225-7729. Some 60,000 customers - about 6,000 more than last year - risk having their service shut off beginning Friday, said Megan McCarthy, spokeswoman for the utility. Of those customers, about 40,000 have failed to make any payments on their accounts since Nov. 1, while about 20,000 have made some payments, she said. Higher utility prices this winter - brought on by surging natural gas prices in the past year - and a tepid economic recovery are among the likely reasons for the number of people who are behind on their accounts, utility officials say. The state Public Service Commission, which regulates electricity and natural gas utilities, bars utilities from disconnecting customers' service during the winter heating season, from Nov. 1 to April 15. More than 20,000 electric and natural gas customers of Wisconsin Public Service Corp. in Green Bay are significantly behind on their bills. That's about the same number as last year, but the amount each customer owes - about $600 on average - is up 30% from last year. "It's a very serious problem," said Jim Ollmann, corporate credit administrator at WPS. State utilities said they plan to begin shutting off customers soon after the April 15 expiration of the moratorium, weather permitting. "It's simply not fair to our paying customers to let people who don't pay off the hook," Ollmann said. Customers who haven't paid their bills can avoid being shut off by contacting their utility to arrange a payment. They don't need to pay everything they owe all at once, McCarthy said. But to avoid having their service disconnected, customers need to contact the utility to arrange a payment plan. "We want our customers to call us, but they also have to understand they're going to have to make a significant down payment on what they owe," she said. Once disconnected, customers must pay their entire outstanding balance plus a fee to get reconnected, McCarthy said. State heating assistance grants are still available for eligible low-income customers. Statistics compiled by the state Department of Administration show a significant decline in energy assistance payments this winter compared with the winter of 2002-'03. We Energies estimates that 14,000 customers who received heating assistance last winter haven't applied yet for assistance this winter, McCarthy said. Customers have until May 15 to apply for heating assistance. Some customers and utilities may not be able to agree on a payment schedule to pay an outstanding bill. In that event, customers may contact the PSC's consumer affairs unit, which will review the proposed payment agreement. If a consumer has not made arrangements to pay an outstanding bill, the utility is not required to provide heat. Utilities must provide notice to a customer prior to shutting off service, the commission said. Wisconsin Power & Light Co., the Madison-based utility serving southwestern and southern Wisconsin, said the number of residential customers who are behind on their bills hasn't changed significantly since last year. Madison Gas & Electric Co. said the number of customers who face shut-off this week is down sharply from last year but totals about 2,900 customers, or 2% of all MG&E customers. From the April 12, 2004 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel jsonline.com