(July 24) The Mayor of Lydia Mill came to see me the other day. Man, was he annoyed.
He had just paid his Clinton-Newberry Natural Gas Authority bill - then, he got another one.
His wife grilled him - “I thought you paid the gas bill!” - and all he could say was, “I DID!” So, why is there another one? The information that Gary McMahan got was, CNNGA is going to a billing system where everybody gets their bill due on the 31st. Gary thinks it has something to do with the interest that CNNGA can accumulate by acquiring its revenue that way. Only one problem - he gets his check on the 3rd or 4th, and now late fees are accumulating.
“I’ve paid more late fees living in this town,” he griped. And, it’s not too long after the late fees kick in, that the disconnection clock starts running. Then, there’s a reconnection fee.
Now, granted, for Gary, it’s not that much money. His hot water heater - outside - runs on gas. In the summer the bill is minimal - in the cold winter it goes up. CNNGA could fix all this - senior citizens getting the squeeze by billing due on the 31st - by switching to a middle of the month billing. People on fixed incomes - and isn’t that really all of us in this economy today? - get their checks on the 3rd or 4th, know that a certain bill is due on the 14th or 15th and they set aside money to pay it, along with all the other bills. Gary’s tried to convince people of that at CNNGA going back to Bobby Harris, he said, but to no avail. He’s talked to mayors and council people galore - he gets all the feedback from the Lydia community because he knows how to fix everybody’s car. When he’s out sometimes, even more people want to talk to him, but he is driving a friend with limited mobility around and that friend wants to get back home, often with a Wilson’s Curb Market cheeseburger.
Gary doesn’t have much faith that this small complaint will do much good. He said people don’t really feel compelled to go to city council meetings. “But I could get them there,” he told me. I’m not sure that would do any good, sounds like one of those punches you just have to roll with.
Vic MacDonald is Editor of The Clinton Chronicle. In June 2025 he will observe 50 years as a community journalist. Reach him at 864-833-1900 or news@clintonchronicle.net.
This is CNNGA’s response directed to Clinton Chronicle General Manager Chris Patterson (July 25):
Mr. Patterson,
I hope all is well with you, your family, and your organization. Let me begin by introducing myself. I am Jimmy Capps the General Manager of Clinton-Newberry Natural Gas Authority. I am writing to hopefully start some dialogue about this week’s editorial regarding the changes we have made to the timing of the Authority’s monthly billing.
CNNGA did make the changes to it billing timeline in early July and the Authority proactively communicated that change to its customers with the prior month’s billing cycle. With that bill, CNNGA distributed a letter to its customers explaining the changes and what impacts the changes could have. It informed customers that they may receive a bill earlier or later than usual due to the meter read timing. Some bills may have 2 weeks usage while others may show 6 weeks usage, but that usage would reflect the usage through the meter since the last bill was mailed to them. The Letter went on to explain why the Authority was making the changes, and for transparency, that reason was not to increase revenue by leveraging interest from the monies collected. In fact, CNNGA waived its facilities charges with all July bills. These facility charges will begin again with the bills mailed out in August. CNNGA also has plans to waive penalties for the billings mailed in July and August. This was put in place to allow the Authority’s customers time to work out their payment schedule which may be impacted by the change.
In the letter CNNGA included language that customers were encouraged to contact the Authority if they were having an issue paying their bills by the bill’s pay by date, because the Authority has a process for payment arrangements when needed.
Since the bills were mailed, we have fielded several customer concerns with the changes and have worked to provide clarity with any confusion. We have seen fewer calls over the last week but as the month ends, we expect those to pick up again as customers pay their bills.
I would be happy to discuss this further with you or Mr. MacDonald if you would like. I value CNNGA’s customers, and I wish other industries valued their customers. If so, more of them would not be struggling. We are fortunate. We have a product that customers are willing to choose. My goal is to provide customers with the best energy choice available, which the Authority believes that to be safe, and affordable natural gas.
Natural gas is a major player in the continued growth and development of this community. CNNGA is also an integral part of the growth throughout Laurens and Newberry counties. The Authority knows that not everyone is happy with change, but we are willing to hear all concerns. The trust we have with this community is earned and the Authority respectfully requests the opportunity to defend its position before CNNGA is made to look like it is attacking what matters to it the most. “THE CUSTOMERS!”
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Jimmy Capps
General Manager
CNNGA
