BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Telegraph Editor
STARKE — As elevated fuel prices and a hot summer continue to result in staggeringly high utility bills, the city of Starke will temporarily suspend disconnections and give customers more time to pay their bills in full.
To be clear, bills are not being canceled. Every charge accumulated will eventually need to be paid, but residential and business customers will be able to carry some of that debt into the fall when usage to drop because of the milder weather.
City Clerk Jimmy Crosby, who had already been working with individual customers, brought a more formal plan to the commission Aug. 2. As a result, disconnections will be suspended through Sept. 30 and late fees will not be accumulated.
The policy will apply to accounts with balances of $300 or less. So, if your bill is $450, you would pay at least $150 and carry any unpaid balance forward to settle later.
According to the city, the same policy will extend from Oct. 1 to 31, but the balance requirement drops to accounts with balances of $150 or less.
Deferments will end in November, and all current and past due amounts will be due. Even in the interim, the city is urging customers to remain as current as possible on paying bills and not fall too far behind.
Irrigation meters discounted
Water and sewer rates increased as a result of the debt acquired to rebuild the city’s wastewater plant.
Those whose water bills are impacted by higher usage due to watering lawns and filling pools may want to investigate installing an irrigation filter.
The city is temporarily making that more affordable by offering a 30% discount on the cost, which can vary by meter size.
Contact the city manager’s office for more information at 904-964-5027. The discount period will expire at the end of December.
