UPDATE- JUNE 26, 2020
We understand that COVID-19 has changed how we all live, work, and play. We also recognize that many of our members may be experiencing financial hardships during this unprecedented time. Therefore, in addition to giving back capital credits to our members early in May and waiving late fees, the cooperative, through recommendations and guidance from state and local officials, instituted a moratorium on electrical service disconnects for its members. This, unfortunately, does not mean bill forgiveness. The cooperative is a not-for-profit organization, and unpaid charges would need to be absorbed by other members, thus raising the costs of service to others.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, North Central Electric temporarily suspended disconnects and late fees voluntarily, in accordance with state and local recommendations, to assist members who were experiencing financial hardships. Now, as the state begins to resume normal operations, cooperatives across the country are also working to return to normal, again, with recommendations from state and local officials. As part of this, July 13th was identified as the date on which the voluntary temporary suspension of disconnects and waiving of late fees will cease. This means, effective July 13th, if your account is past due in accordance with our disconnect policy and we have not talked or made special arrangements, you may be disconnected as early as that day.
Therefore, if you have an outstanding balance, we would very much like to discuss this with you. We implore you to please contact our office to set-up payment arrangements or to receive a list of agencies that can help you before the end of the disconnect freeze, which, again, will be lifted on July 13th.
Please contact us as soon as possible to discuss the outstanding charges on your account to prevent being placed on the disconnect list.
1-800-426-3072
UPDATE- MAY 1, 2020
With the recent extension of the Stay-At-Home order from the Governor’s office, we will continue to hold all disconnects and late fees for non-pay until further notice or the expiration of the order.
Please remember that this is not a “forgiveness” of your bill, but rather a postponement. We encourage all members who can pay, either all or a portion of their bill, to do so in order to avoid paying a very large bill at the end of this current moratorium.
Additionally, our lobby will continue to stay closed until further notice. Our goal is to protect our members and employees, as well as to do our part to prevent the spread of the virus.
Things to note:
- The night drop box will remain OPEN
- Non-essential face-to-face meetings and appointments may be postponed
- All members are encouraged to use online payment options like the SmartHub app. More info about this can be found on our website.
The cooperative’s main focus during this time is the safety and continued service for our members, while providing the best working environment possible for our employees and slowing the spread of the virus.
The most important part of all of this is continued communications. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have a question. Due to the sheer number of comments and notifications we get on Facebook, we are unable to always answer every comment. So, please contact us directly at the offices during regular business hours to get the answer to your question. We will, as always, continue to operate as a cooperative for the benefit of our members, so if you need to discuss your bill or any other cooperative service, please contact us.