SANDRA M STANWAY
Brooks Bulletin
Some residents are not happy with the city after they received notification that they would have to pay a 10 per cent levy on a utility bill that was issued during the postal strike.
One resident on social media noted that he received a letter dated Dec. 18 that indicated his Nov. 15 account was overdue for the period of Sept. 1 to Oct. 31.
He noted that the city pointed out that the invoice was due on Dec. 16 and could not be mailed.
“I do not feel the city is justified in charging a penalty when an invoice has not been presented,” he said.
Many believe that the city should have “eaten” the costs rather than profiting on the mail strike.
“I expect there will be a lot of time expended with council discussing complaints about unjustified utility penalties,” he noted.
While the city charged the penalty, the County of Newell issued a notification which stated there would be no penalties levied during the strike.
The municipality offered an extension that was equivalent to the strike period. If the strike had continued for three weeks a three-week extension would have applied.
The strike took place from Nov. 15 to Dec. 16.
The Town of Bassano also applied late penalties, however, the utility bill will not be available until this week. Town officials have urged residents to sign up for paperless billing.
“It is important to stay current on your payments to avoid additional charges,” stated the town.
