Las Vegas, NV (KXNT) - More than 41,000 Southern Nevadans who have fallen behind in their payments to NV Energy due to the loss of employment or other economic effects stemming from the pandemic have had their bills paid for by Clark County with the use of federal CARES Act funding.
The County processed a payment of $14.7 million on behalf of the customers Tuesday. The move follows a similar effort by the County on behalf of some 15,700 Southern Nevada residents in October.
Tuesday’s action benefits 20,421 residents of unincorporated Clark County at a cost of $6.2 million, 12,006 residents of the city of Las Vegas ($5.7 million), 4,697 residents of Henderson ($2.2 million), 4,128 residents of North Las Vegas ($636,000), and 150 residents of Laughlin in unincorporated Clark County ($39,000).
“The pandemic has been incredibly hard on the residents of Southern Nevada,” said Clark County Commission Chairman Marilyn Kirkpatrick. “Our families are struggling and they shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on the table and paying their power bills. This effort will provide real help to the families who need it most.”
Residents’ accounts will be credited if they have a past due balance stemming from the pandemic. The credit will be reflected on the affected customers’ bills.
The funds will not be used to pay for late fees or penalties associated with delinquent bills and NV Energy has agreed to forgive such fees and penalties for bills paid for with the County’s Coronavirus Relief Funds. NV Energy will begin crediting accounts immediately and eligible customers will see the assistance payment on their next billing statement or on MyAccount at nvenergy.com/myaccount. Processing may take up to three business days.