By John West
The LaFayette city council has voted to allow an extension on electric bills for residents who are having trouble making their payment on time. Councilman Toney Thomas brought up the matter at the March 14 council meeting. The current cutoff date is set for the 22nd of each month unless that day falls on a weekend or holiday. The extension will be by request and will allow up to 7 extra days after the cutoff date for residents to pay their electric bill, provided they are not delinquent.
“We got a lot of elderly people that live here that only get paid once a month,” Thomas said. “Some of these elderly people’s utility bills were $600, $700 this past month. A lot of them came to me and asked was there anything the mayor and council could do to maybe extend the cutoff date a few days till they get that other paycheck in.”
According to City Attorney Joseph “Mac” Tucker there was already an ordinance in place that allowed for such a situation. The vote allowed Mayor Vines the authority to give the go-ahead for the extension on the utility bills.
