There have been a slew of theories tossed around to determine the reasons for the wild price swings customers of Delta Utilities have dealt with in the area. New Orleans City Councilman Freddie King has his own concerns and says he’s been receiving hundreds of emails (along with his other council members) about bills jumping astronomically in price. There will be public meetings held between the city council, representatives from Delta Utilities, and area customers who want to air their concerns. “We’ve heard from people who have seen their bills go from $50 per month to $200 a month to almost $500 per month. We just want to have a conversation to get some answers,” King explained.
Councilmember King does give Sarah Porteous, who serves as Vice President of Communications for Delta Utilities, credit or being responsive to emails and other outreach efforts. “To Miss Porteous’ credit, she has not shied away from any conversations. I just want to have a place where people can get the correct information all in one place. You may see something from a social media site that is incorrect or some information from a separate website that’s half correct. I want all the people in one room so we can find out directly from Delta Utilities why these bills are going the way they are,” the councilman emphasized. King says he’s heard a wide range of reasons for the rate changes from various sources, but he is looking for direct answers from those directly involved.
“We want to quiet those rumors and get people the correct information. Not from me, not from someone who heard something from somewhere else. We're going to get everyone in one room so we can hear from Delta why these bills are the way they are. We're going to have a centralized location so we can hear from Delta leadership as to why the bills are what they are," King went on to emphasize.
Both public meetings will begin promptly at 5:30pm and will conclude by 6:45pm. The first forum will take place this evening (March 3rd) at Connect Church of Algiers (1110 Kabel Dr) and the second will be at St. Roch Community Church located at 1738 St. Roch Ave on Thursday.