NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas – New Braunfels Utilities officials announced Sunday that they plan to make a “one-time adjustment” to all customers’ water bills following the winter storm.
According to a statement from the utility group, both residential and commercial accounts will be adjusted once to “aid and assist” customers who may have higher bills due to freeze-related leaks or unusually high usage for faucet dripping in order to prevent property damage.
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“Our customers have had to endure unthinkable hardships due to this extreme weather event,” Ian Taylor, NBU’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “We understand their concerns and want to do all we can to help our community by easing the impact of their next bill.”
According to Taylor, the financial impact of the winter storm on New Braunfels area customers has not been “fully calculated,” but it may be considerable.
The utility group said it experienced an unusually sharp increase in fuel costs and that the impact of the storm will continue “into the foreseeable future.”
While fuel charges are normally passed on to its electricity customers, NBU is pursuing “every financing tool within our ability to spread the financial impact over years,” the utility group said in a statement. “Spreading out the costs, if approved, will minimize the impact to customer affordability, which is important since everyone in our community and beyond has already been through a very difficult time.”
Additionally, the group said it also provides bill assistance and payment plans to help those struggling to pay their bills.