CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Clarksville Gas & Water will soon make an important change to the monthly bills, and it might help avoid disaster for some late-paying customers.

Gas & Water utility bill statements are always due upon receipt; however, beginning May 1, the normal 30 days to pay will change to 25 days before an account becomes delinquent and gets processed for deactivation. This change allows a minimum of 15 days to pay in full to avoid a 10% late fee.

Tightening the window from 30 days to 25 in some ways makes things more difficult. But Mark Riggins, Gas & Water general manager, said one of the biggest problems they run into is that with a 30-day window, by the time a customer becomes delinquent, they already owe more than two months of bills.

“When you get a bill, by the time it’s processed and you get it in the mail, we already have the next month’s meter read,” Riggins told Clarksville Now. “What we have is several customers who don’t pay the first bill, and then (when it becomes delinquent at 30 days) they already owe for the second bill. If we shut off, they are in for two months and a piece.”

Delinquent customers end up frustrated. “The comment we get is, ‘Why did you let me get out this far before you shut me off? How will I get out of this hole?'”

A 25-day window prevents that from happening. “If you go delinquent, you only owe for one month and a piece instead of two. You’re not allowed to get that far,” Riggins said.

CDE and many other utilities already have 25 day windows, he said. The change is being made primarily to reduce Gas & Water’s financial liability, but it has the benefit of preventing these cascading problems.

“It will help them, and if it didn’t we wouldn’t be doing it,” Riggins said.

What do customers need to do?

Most customers won’t be affected. But Gas & Water said customers should plan now to accommodate five fewer days to pay utility bills on time. Customers should notify third-party bill payment services and adjust payment dates for Auto-Pay and ACH bank drafts as needed.

“I appreciate each and every customer, and I ask for your cooperation with the new bill payment changes,” Riggins said.

Gas & Water offers customers a variety of bill payment options:

  • Budget Billing (open enrollment in April, May and June).
  • AutoPay.
  • ACH Bank Draft.
  • Pay by Text.
  • Utility Billing Line, (931) 645-7400, pay-by-phone and account management.
  • WebConnect, www.clarksvillegw.com, online payment and account management.
  • Payment drop box, 2215 Madison St.

Kiosk Pay Sites (24-hour access, no fee for Gas & Water bill payments):

  • 111 Cunningham Lane, drive-up kiosk
  • 1599 Ft. Campbell Blvd.
  • 1801 Ashland City Road
  • 2537 Wilma Rudolph Blvd.
  • 3880 Trenton Road
  • 2021 Wilma Rudolph Blvd.

For more information, please visit the Gas & Water website, www.clarksvillegw.com, or call 931-645-7400, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.