‘I’ve Just Had Enough’: Lindsay Residents Experiencing Skyrocketing Utility Bills

Residents in Lindsay are raising concerns about their increased utility bills.

News 9 spoke to a group of residents who said they don’t see why their bills should be increasing as much as they have been.

“I've just had enough,” Lindsay resident Devon Herrod said. “There's (sic) older people in town that have to choose if they're going to pay for their medicine and rent, or if they need lights on.”

A few months ago, resident Laura Williams said her bill was approximately $175.

“I have never had a bill almost the same amount as my rent,” Williams said. “It went to $224. Then, it was $384 (and) then it went to $470-something, so it's gradually getting more and more. And now, it's just to the point where we can't take it. You can't handle it.”

“It's just a really big jump and we don't understand why it's jumping so high,” resident Maxine Kelley said.

City administrator Janice Cain said the increases are due to a variety of things.

“It's all part of a budget deficit, increased cost of buying power, natural gas prices increasing and the hottest summer we've had in 11 years,” Cain said. “It's kind of a perfect storm.”

Residents said they are most upset that they are having to pay higher bills because of the city’s budget deficit.

“They're spending all this money, and now, we're having to pay for it off our utility bills,” resident Craig Hughes said.

Cain said that the city paid over $200,000 in utilities over the last two months. She said it’s not just the residents who are paying the price.

Cain said the Lindsay City Council voted to implement a new rate structure that began in July.  

The residents News 9 spoke to said that they were told they would be getting around a $30 increase to their bill each month.

“But yet, it's still going up way more than the $30 or $40 we were promised,” Hughes said. “We understand that there's a fuel adjustment cost and that the rates went up, but this is more than we can handle.”

The residents said they are concerned for the future of the City of Lindsay and their neighbors.

“We're fixing to move,” Herrod said. “We can't afford it here.”

“I believe that people will move out if this keeps happening,” Kelley said.