LOS LUNAS— The village of Los Lunas will resume billing late fees on village utility bills this month after waiving them since March 2020.
Additionally, the village will again begin turning off utilities after 30 days. They allowed a 90-day grace period during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Los Lunas utility billing supervisor Britne Lee said that during July, the only people at risk of getting their water shut off are customers who were 60 days past due as of June 1, 2020. All other customers who have past due balances will be charged 10 percent of what they owe if not paid by July 9, 2021.
Beginning again in August, anyone who has a past due balance of any amount at the beginning of the month and has not paid by the end of the specified month will have their water shut off by the village.
“In a typical setting pre-COVID, the village does not allow any resident to go 30 days past due on their utility services,” Lee said. “Any balance owed on the (first of the month) for the current month if not paid by the last week of the said month is subject to disconnection.”
As of the beginning of June, there are 418 past-due accounts, amounting in nearly $85,000 owed to the village.
Although late fees have not been charged for utilities since March of last year, Lee said pre-pandemic late fees would have brought in about $7,000 to $8,000 in revenue for the village every month.
Makayla Grijalva was born and raised in Las Cruces. She is a 2020 graduate of The University of New Mexico, where she studied multimedia journalism, political science and history.
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April 18, 2024
