News Archive for January
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January 12
City Lowers Electric Rates - AGAIN!
Rates down 27 percent since 2008
As another important measure to help residents and local businesses save money during these trying economic times, the City of Tallahassee Commission unanimously approved lowering electric rates for the third time in the past 12 months. Effective February 1, electric rates for residential customers will decrease by 3.5 percent while rates for commercial customers will drop about 4 to 4.5 percent, depending on the size of the business.
Commissioners voted to decrease the rates two months earlier than originally planned in an effort to help more residents save on energy costs during the cold weather months.
"The cost of energy represents a substantial portion of a household's budget. Thus, the goal is to provide important financial relief to customers while also helping to stimulate the local economy," said Mayor Pro Tem Andrew Gillum, lead commissioner on the City's Financial Viability of the Government target issue committee.
"This is great news for our neighbors and local businesses, especially during these tough economic times," said City Commissioner Mark Mustian, also on the Financial Viability of the Government target issue committee.
Rates are typically adjusted twice annually in April and October, based on the cost of fuel to run the power plants. The City's rates remain below the state average. Since October 2008, City electric rates have decreased by 27 percent, which equates to a $110 million annual reduction in electric costs for Tallahassee.
Customers can save even more money by taking advantage of the City's many other Energy Smart Plus (e+) products & services, such as free energy audits, ceiling insulation grants, energy- efficient appliance rebates and the interactive e+ Online account management tool.
January 11
Online City Services Will Be Temporarily Unavailable
Network upgrades scheduled for this weekend
Beginning Saturday, January 14, at 8 a.m. the City of Tallahassee will upgrade its network equipment resulting in a temporary suspension of Talgov e-services. Talgov.com will remain online throughout this period and e-services affected by the temporary service suspension are expected to be up and running no later than 8 a.m. Tuesday, January 17.
"When complete, the upgrade will improve and enhance the server distribution systems," said Sabrina Holloman, the City's Chief Information Systems Officer. "This will allow for better management of current and future requirements for data storage."
During the upgrade process, customers will not have access to e-services, such as e+ Online Account Management application and Account Search functions. In addition, video streaming will be temporarily unavailable.
| Payment Options available during network upgrade |
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No utility service disconnections will take place during the specified dates. For emergencies, such as power outages, customers may call 891.4YOU (4968) between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily during the upgrade to speak with a customer service representative.
The City apologizes for any inconvenience that customers may experience during the upgrade process.
January 10
City Issues $5.6 million in Utility Account Refunds to Local Businesses
City Commissioners kick off process by delivering checks to business owners
On Dec. 7, 2011, the Tallahassee City Commission approved returning approximately $5.6 million in utility account security deposits to nearly 3,600 local businesses. City Commissioners will kick off the actual refund process tomorrow, Jan. 10, by personally delivering checks to local businesses. Members of the City Commission will make their first delivery of a refund check at 1 p.m. to The Shoe Box, 2820 S. Monroe St., followed by visits to several other local businesses.
The commercial utility account refund process was designed to help area business owners, bolster the local economy and potentially foster new jobs. This signifies a key step in the City Commission's ongoing support of area businesses and stimulating the local economy.
Local business leaders provided valuable input into this process, and the City Commission's action was supported by the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and the Utility Citizens Advisory Committee.
January 3
Latest Featured Stories for January Released
Take a minute to read our three Featured Stories for the month of January. You can also see a list of our featured stories from up to a year ago by visiting our featured stories archive.
January 1
2012 Solid Waste Customer Service Guide Now Available
The annual booklet we send out that gives you a quick guide to our solid waste services is now available online for easy access. Download a copy now. We have also updated the red/blue calendar that can be downloaded as well.