By rdnewsNOW staff

AUTOMATIC ENROLLMENT

Red Deer County approves three month deferral for utilities payments

Apr 14, 2020 | 12:19 PM

Red Deer County is allowing those who are unable to pay their municipal utility bills to defer payments for up to three months due to the economic challenges facing residents and businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The county says residents and business owners will continue to be billed monthly for March, April and May, but will not be subject to service cut-offs or penalties for non-payment or partial payments.

Those wishing to take advantage of deferrals will not need to enroll in a deferral program, as participation will be automatic, the county says in a release. Deferrals will be automatically applied to utility bills throughout the deferral period. That period is scheduled to last until June 30, and will cover the billing periods of March, April and May 2020.

“Council wishes to help our residents as much as possible. We know this is a time of financial hardship for many in our region, and we hope that this program will alleviate some of the pressure when it comes to covering their short term expenses,” says Red Deer County Mayor Jim Wood.

The county says the three month deferral program is designed to provide temporary financial relief, and ratepayers will still be responsible for paying any deferred utilities in full. While ratepayers are not required to make any payments during the deferral period, the county is strongly encouraging those who are able to continue paying their utility bills in full or in smaller partial payments.

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Outstanding balances will be due at the end of the deferral period. Penalties and transfers to tax bills will continue as usual in July.

For more information on this program, please contact Red Deer County Centre at 403-350-2150.