ROCKINGHAM — The line outside the drive-thru of the Richmond County administration building stayed backed up most of Friday as customers waited to pay their water bills.
The county announced on its Facebook page Aug. 13 that since one of Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive orders has expired, late fees can now be charged and bills must be paid by Monday, Aug. 17.
The governor signed an executive order in late March prohibiting utilities from charging late fees and shutting off service due to state residents being out of work because of his other executive orders, which shut down or limited many businesses across the state during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cooper extended the order in June, but it expired on July 29.
However, the N.C. Utilities Commission released an order the same day as the expiration forbidding any utility shutoffs for nonpayment until Sept. 1, according to the Carolina Journal.
The CJ reported that “the commission’s order extends customers’ repayment period to at least one year. It also bans providers from charging late fees until the state of emergency ends.”
The CJ also reported in July that 14% of N.C. utilities customers stopped paying their bills in April and that “more than 1.3 million residential customers became eligible to lose their water, gas, and electric services.”
County buildings are still closed to the public, so customers have to either pay via the drive-thru, mail or by calling 1-844-507-8414.
