CHATHAM — The Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors wants to know why county residents have seen their power bills from Danville Utilities reach astronomical levels.
The board unanimously voted during its regular meeting Monday night to send a letter to the Danville Utility Commission asking for an explanation as to why residents’ bi-monthly utilities expenses have in some cases more than doubled recently. Residents expressed dismay at higher-than-normal energy bills during the meeting at the General District Courtroom in Chatham.
Ringgold resident Scott Barker saw his bi-monthly bill from Danville Utilities nearly triple over a four month period recently. Barker said his bill went from $274 in September-October to $731 in November-December.
“I was sure it would have gone up,” Barker said to supervisors, “but triple I was not prepared for.”
Barker said he was expecting his last bill to add up to about $400 and that the highest utility bill he had previously received was $500. Barker lives in a two-bedroom mobile home, with another adult and a small child.
He said he has spoken to other residents in the county and heard of a resident’s utility bill increasing from $489 during a two-month period to $1,498 and another’s increasing from $500 to $1,057. During an interview before the meeting, Barker said he keeps his thermostat set between 66 and 68 degrees.
About a dozen county residents had signed up to comment on their utility bills at the meeting, but Westover Supervisor Coy Harville had initially told them to take their concerns to the city of Danville since the county “is not in the light business” and the city provides their utilities.
However, the issue was on the meeting agenda, and Tunstall Supervisor Tim Barber, who owns Barber Automotive Center on U.S. 58 West, said his utilities bill at his business has been about $200 to $250 over the last 10 years, but had recently gone up past $400 – to $430 in January and $452 in February.
“It’s getting ridiculous,” Barber said.
Staunton River Supervisor Marshall Ecker said he wanted a representative from the Danville Utility Commission come and speak to the board about the rising utility bills. The board voted 7-0 to send a letter on behalf of citizens asking for an explanation from the commission and to request that someone speak to the board.
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