MILFORD, Del.- The city of Milford is switching over to a new billing method to help staff and customers pay and process electrical bills.
Instead of reading the meter once a month and billing all customers at one time, the city split residents into four groups and will read each group, one at a time and then bill the customers.
But this confused some customers, especially when they got two bills just a few days apart.
Mac McCormick was not sure what to do when two electric bills came to his home just a couple days apart. A letter did go out, though, explaining that a second bill would be coming soon, with a due date of June 25, only 10 days after the typical June 15th due date.
"I guess some people have plenty of income and they can pay the second bill without any notice," said McCormick. "But I am on Social Security, I get a small military pension, but there are a lot of people that have to subsist off of $400 to $500 Social Security a month."
With air conditioners and lights about to be a summer staple, the city said it did the switch now because May is usually a low-use month. It also will help billing 8,000 residents on the same day, and put less strain on city employees.
However, McCormick said he would have preferred more advance notice.
"What I'm upset about is the fact that there was improper notice, hardly any notice given," he said.
Milford City Manager Richard Carmean said he wished the city did that too.
"I really wish that the letter had gotten out the week before like we planned, which would give another seven days to call and answer questions," he said.
Carmean said the city is working residents. If you live in Milford and need more time to pay the June 25th bill, the city says call or come by to make payment arrangements.
